tibvavy  of 'the  Cheoloctfcd  gtmimvy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

The  Estate  of 
Philip  H.  Waddell  Smith 

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CLEWS    TO    HOLY    WRIT. 


CLEWS  TO  HOLY  WRIT; 


OR,    THE 


iYCLE 


A  SCHEME  FOR  STUDYING  THE  WHOLE  BIBLE  IN  ITS 
HISTORICAL  ORDER  DURING  THREE  YEARS. 


BY 

MARY  L.  G.N/CARUS-WILSON, 

(nee  petrie), 

FOUNDER   AND   PRESIDENT    OF    "  THE   COLLEGE   BY   POST.' 


EIGHTH  EDITION. 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

IO   EAST   23d    STREET,    NEW    YORK. 


TO  THE 
DUCHESS    OF    BEDFORD, 

ONE   OF   THE    FIRST 

OUTSIDE    OUR    COLLEGE    BY    POST   TO   ADOPT 

THE      C.S.C.    SCHEME, 

AND   THE   FIRST   TO   SUGGEST 

ITS    ISSUE    IN    THIS    FORM    FOR    A    WIDER    PUBLIC, 

3-  S)e&fcate 
MY  LITTLE   BOOK. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SIXTH  THOUSAND 

r  I  ^HE  reception  which  my  little  volume  has  had  from 
-*-  the  reviewers  and  the  public  has  been  most  gratifying 
to  the  author  of  a  first  book.  The  few  adverse  criticisms 
were  based  on  the  idea  that  I  was  daring  enough  to  at- 
tempt the  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  task  of  setting  forth 
an  authoritative  scheme  of  Biblical  chronology.  Prepara- 
tion of  this  book  has,  on  the  contrary,  led  me  to  doubt  if 
an  undisputed  date  can  be  assigned  to  any  single  event 
in  Scripture  history.  Modern  research  has  not  yet  re- 
placed the  generally  condemned  old  chronology  by  a 
generally  accepted  new  one.  Hence  it  seemed  best,  in 
a  popular  book,  to  use  the  "  received  chronology  "  as  a 
convenient  working  basis,  indicating  that  it  is  only  ap- 
proximately true  anywhere,  and  in  many  places  very 
doubtful. 

My  marriage,  on  August  31st,  1893,  to  Professor 
Ashley  Carus-Wilson,  of  McGill  University,  Montreal,  has 
changed  both  my  name  and  my  address,  and  puts  it  out 
of  my  power  to  admit  any  new  students  into  the  College 
by   Post,    at    any  rate   until    the    summer   of    1894.      All 


vi  PREFACE 

letters  referring  to  it  should  be  addressed  to  "  The 
Secretary  of  the  College  by  Post,"  at  Hanover  Lodge, 
Kensington  Park.  Letters  intended  for  me  should  go  'to 
Canada.  We  are  arranging  to  lend  the  MS.  answers  to 
the  questions  to  the  many  leaders  of  Scripture  classes, 
etc.,  who  are  using  this  book,  on  payment  of  a  subscrip- 
tion of  at  least  2s.  6d.  to  the  Prize  Fund  of  the  College 
by  Post. 

MARY  L.  G.  CARUS-WILSON. 

September,  1893. 


PREFACE. 

""\T7  ILL  you  as  a  young  student  help  another  young 
V  V  student  ?  "  The  request  was  made  by  the  founder 
of  the  "  Christian  Women's  Education  Union  "  to  me  in  my 
early  college  days,  when  I  had  only  matriculated  and  all 
the  hardest  part  of  my  work  for  the  University  of  London 
lay  before  me.  So  I  began  an  informal  correspondence 
with  two  or  three  other  girls  whose  schoolroom  days  were 
over,  and  who  were  isolated  from  educational  advantages. 
A  few  months  later,  casual  mention  in  the  Girl's  Own 
Paper  of  this  brought  such  scores  of  applications  for  the 
proffered  aid  that  the  organisation  now  known  as  the 
COLLEGE  by  Post  came  suddenly  into  being. 

Born  thus  in  the  summer  of  1881,  it  has  grown  steadily 
since.  University  College,  London  ;  Westfield  College, 
Hampstead  ;  Girton  and  Newnham  Colleges,  Cambridge  ; 
Somerville  and  Lady  Margaret  Halls,  Oxford ;  the  Ladies' 
College,  Cheltenham,  and  kindred  institutions  for  higher 
education  of  women  have  contributed  able  teachers  glad 
to  share  with  others  what  they  have  themselves  received 
to  a  staff  on  which  200  have  now  been  enrolled. 

From  all  parts  of  the  United  Kingdom,  from  the  Con- 
tinent and  the  Colonies,  students  representing  many 
different  conditions  of  life  and  degrees  of  education,  to  the 
number  of  3000,  have  entered  our  classes.  We  do  not 
prepare  for  any  public  examinations,  but  many  who  have 
small    opportunity  of  availing   themselves  of  professional 


viii  PREFACE. 

tuition  are  eager  to  continue  self-culture  of  various  kinds 
under  definite  guidance  through  correspondence.  We 
would  fain  lead  them  to  prefer  wise  books  to  foolish  ones  ; 
to  enrich  their  lives  by  caring  for  history,  literature,  and 
science,  when  continuing  to  learn  ceases  to  be  a  duty 
imposed  from  without  and  one  is  free  to  arrest  or  foster 
further  intellectual  growth.  And  since  the  most  important 
history,  the  noblest  literature,  and  the  highest  knowledge 
should  always  come  first,  every  one  of  our  students  under- 
takes to  give  half  an  hour  a  day  to  Bible  study  on  some 
regular  system.  Some  do  this  merely  because  it  is  the 
condition  of  receiving  gratuitous  instruction  in  other  sub- 
jects. But  these  soon  find  that  to  know  the  Bible  aright 
is  to  love  it  above  all  other  books.  And  an  ever-increasing 
number  who  do  not  need  our  teaching  in  other  subjects 
join  Scripture  classes  only,  and  continue  Scripture  study 
year  after  year  when  marriage  or  pressure  of  other  fresh 
claims  on  time  has  made  secular  study  with  us  impossible. 
During  more  than  six  years  we  availed  ourselves  of  four 
plans  of  Bible  reading,  each  of  wJiich  joins  us  to  organisa- 
tions of  larger  extent  than  our  own,  and  each  of  which 
has  its  peculiar  advantages  :  (a)  The  Lectionary  of  the 
Church  of  England,  by  which  the  Old  Testament  is  read 
once  and  the  New  Testament  twice  in  the  year.  Four  chap- 
ters a  day  are,  however,  too  large  a  portion  for  thorough 
study,  save  in  the  case  of  those  who  have  abundant  leisure. 
(b)  (c)  The  two  Bible  Unions  shaped  some  sixteen  years 
ago  by  two  clergymen  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  now 
numbering  many  thousand  adherents  all  over  the  world — 
viz.,  the  Bible  and  Prayer  Union,  which  reads  the  Bible 
straight  through  in  three  years  and  three  months  at  the 
rate  of  one  chapter  a  day  ;  and  the  Christian  Progress 
Union,  which  reads  the  Old  Testament  and  New  Testa- 
ment straight  through  together,  in  rather  more  than  two 
years  and  a  half.  Both  are  clear  and  simple  plans,  but 
tend  to  ignore  the  historical  connection  of  the  books  of  the 


PREFACE.  ix 

Bible  with  each  other,  id)  The  Bible  study  plan,  varying  from 
year  to  year,  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association. 
This,  as  a  rule,  is  only  adopted  by  those  few  of  us  who 
are  connected  with  the  practical  work  of  that  good  society. 

No  one  of  these  schemes  completely  meets  our  special 
needs  as  students  ;  and  my  desire  to  add  a  fifth  scheme 
took  shape  during  a  long  ramble  among  the  moors  and 
mountains  of  Argyllshire  in  August  1887.  Surely  the  most 
intelligent  and  profitable  method  of  studying  the  Bible  is 
to  read  it  in  the  chronological  order  of  the  events  it  relates 
and  the  books  it  contains,  so  far  as  that  can  be  ascertained. 
Thus  we  can  illustrate  the  story  of  what  was  done  by  the 
poetry  and  other  literature  which  explains  the  motives  and 
sets  forth  the  results  of  those  deeds  "  in  order  "  (Luke  i.  3, 
Acts  xi.  4).  This  rearrangement  will  produce  fresh  in- 
terest in  the  narratives  ;  fresh  proof  of  their  power,  and 
irresistible  evidence  of  their  authenticity  as  history  ;  fresh 
light  on  the  will  of  God  when  we  see  the  truths  He  has 
revealed,  not  as  isolated  things,  but  as  parts  of  a  whole  set 
forth  in  regular  progression,  from  the  dim  dawn  of  the  first 
promise  in  Eden  to  that  bright  noontide  when  the  Eternal 
Son  came  in  the  Father's  Name  to  reveal  God  to  man 
perfectly. 

Such  was  the  idea  embodied  in  the  CHRONOLOGICAL 
Scripture  Cycle,  Those  who  first  adopted  it  began 
work  with  MS.  papers  on  February  1st,  1888,  and  hence- 
forth the  number  of  C.S.C.  classes  rapidly  increased. 
Then  many  whose  lives  are  too  busy  to  admit  of  their 
joining  our  classes,  who  are  engaged  in  Bible  teaching  at 
home  or  in  missionary  work  in  distant  lands,  asked  for  the 
set  of  C.S.C.  pamphlets  which  had  been  prepared  in  the  first 
instance  solely  for  our  own  students. 

That  there  is  a  real  need  for  such  aid  as  we  seek  to 
give  among  the  more  thoughtful  Bible  readers  of  to-day, 
who  cannot  easily  obtain  or  use  the  larger  works  of  modern 
scholars,  is  indicated  by  these  facts.     In  little  more  than 


x  PREFACE. 

four  years  our  students  and  their  friends  have  subscribed 
for  3000  sets  of  pamphlets  ;  and  the  scheme  is  now  being, 
followed  by  50  out  of  60  of  our  Scripture  classes,  as  well 
as  by  nearly  1700  individual  Bible  readers.  To  many 
Holy  Writ  has  thus  become  not  only  interesting  but 
fascinating  ;  and  the  promised  half-hour  has  grown  into 
an  hour  at  the  expense  of  less  absorbing  secular  studies. 

This  volume  forms  the  third  edition  or  fourth  thousand 
of  the  C.S.C.  Papers.  In  revising  them  I  have  been  much 
indebted  to  my  colleagues  in  the  College  BY  Post  for  hints 
and  criticisms  founded  upon  experience  of  the  practical 
work  of  our  C.S.C.  classes.  Of  other  friends  whose  larger 
knowledge  has  in  various  ways  aided  my  responsible  task, 
special  mention  must  be  made  of  the  Principal  of  St.  John's 
Hall,  Highbury.  Throughout  I  write  for  the  plain  reader 
who  knows  no  language  but  English.  Should  more  erudite 
persons  use  "  Clews  to  Holy  Writ,"  1  trust  they  will 
forgive  explanations  of  far  from  recondite  things,  recom- 
mendations of  popular  and  inexpensive  books,  and  studious 
avoidance  of  learned  allusions  and  deep  and  difficult 
questions. 

And  now,  as  with  sails  trimmed  anew  my  humble  craft 
speeds  out  to  sea  from  its  inland  lake,  I  pray  God  that 
this  effort  to  help  my  fellow-students,  not  discoursing  from 
a  pulpit,  but  meeting  them  on  common  ground,  may  be 
used  to  stir  many  others  up  to  fresh  study  of  His  in- 
exhaustible and  everlasting  Word. 

MARY  L.  G.  PETRIE. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

PREFACE  .........       Vii 

INTRODUCTION  ........  I 

GENERAL    PLAN    OF    THE    CHRONOLOGICAL    SCRIPTURE    CYCLE  9 

FIRST  TERM. 
THE    DAYS    OF    THE    PATRIARCHS  .  .  .  .  -19 

SECOND   TERM. 
THE    DAYS   OF   MOSES 39 

THIRD   TERM. 
THE   DAYS   OF    DATID         .......       60 

FOURTH   TERM. 
THE    DAYS    OF    SOLOMON 7^ 

FIFTH   TERM. 
THE    DAYS   OF   THE    PROPHETS -95 

SIXTH  TERM. 
THE   DAYS   OF   JEREMIAH Il8 

SEVENTH  TERM. 

THE    DAYS    OF    EZRA 13$ 

THE     SIX    CENTURIES    FROM    JUDAH's     FALL    TO    THE    BIRTH 

OF   CHRIST •    1^4 


Xll 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

THE    PSALMS    IN    THEIR    HISTORICAL    SEQUENCE    .             .            .  I7O 

EIGHTH  TERM. 

THE    DAYS    OF    THE    SON    OF    MAN         .....  213 

THE    GOSPELS    IN    THEIR    HISTORICAL    SEQUENCE.            .             .  244 

NINTH  TERM. 

THE    DAYS    OF   S.    PAUL     .......  278 

SECOND    SERIES    OF    QUESTIONS 300, 

GENERAL    INDEX        335 

INDEX   TO    THE    PSALMS    .......  337 


INTRODUCTION. 

"The  word  of  the  Lord  was  precious  in  those  days;  there  was  no  open 
vision." — i  Sam.  iii.  I. 

"The  Bible  is  an  interpretation  of  the  eternal,  intelligible  to  every  man 
through  all  time  in  the  language  in  which  he  was  born." — Dr.  Westcott, 
Bishop  of  Durham. 

"  Let  us  read  every  word,  ponder  every  word,  first  in  its  plain  human  sense  ; 
then  if,  in  after  years,  we  can  see  any  safe  law  or  rule  by  which  we  may  find 
out  its  hidden  meaning,  let  us  use  it,  and  search  into  the  deep  things  of  God, 
not  from  men's  theories,  but  from  His  own  words." — Canon  Kingsley. 

GOD  is  silent  now  as  He  was  in  the  days  of  Eli,  and  for 
us  there  is  no  open  vision.  In  one  sense,  indeed,  He 
is  ever  revealing  Himself  as  "the  thoughts  of  men  are 
widened  with  the  process  of  the  suns."  With  fresh  insight 
into  Nature  we  gain  fresh  knowledge  of  His  ways,  while 
the  course  of  History  is  constantly  showing  us  more  and 
more  of  His  will  concerning  man.  But  His  supreme 
revelation  was  when  He  "  spoke  unto  us  in  His  Son,"  whom 
the  heaven  has  now  received  until  the  times  of  restoration 
of  all  things  (Acts  iii.  21,  R.V.)  ;  and  since  that  Divine  voice 
is  heard  no  longer  among  us,  most  "  rare  "  and  "  precious  " 
is  the  Book  that  contains  its  words,  with  all  the  Prophetic 
teaching  that  led  up  to  them  and  all  the  Apostolic  teaching 
that  flowed  out  of  them  (Heb.  i.  I,  ii.  3,  4).  We  are 
Christians  because  we  believe  in  Christ,  not  because  we 
believe  in  the  Bible.  Our  faith  is  centred  in  a  Person,  not 
in  a  book.  But,  being  Christians,  we  prize  and  study  the 
Bible,  because  we  can  abundantly  prove  that  in  the  Gospels 
we  have  the  authentic  record  of  Christ's  life  and  teaching, 
that  He  has  set  His  seal  upon  the  Old  Testament  as  "  the 
Scriptures  of  the  prophets  which  cannot  be  broken  "  (Matt 
xxvi.  56;  John  x.  35  ;  cf.  Rom.  i.  2),  and  that  the  whole 
New  Testament  is  the  work  of  men  to  whom  He  promised 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

that  His  Holy  Spirit  should  teach  them  all  things  and 
bring  all  that  He  had  said  to  their  remembrance  (John 
xiv.  26).  The  Bible  tells  us  of  a  Living  Christ,  and  is 
interpreted  to  us  by  the  Living  Spirit  of  God  who  once 
moved  its  writers  (2  Peter  i.  21).  Therefore  it  stands  alone 
among  the  "  sacred  books "  of  the  world  in  being  itself 
living,  not  dead.  Too  often,  however,  it  has  been  treated 
as  if  it  were  dead.  No  book  is  more  read  and  less  studied  ; 
no  book  has  been  more  grievously  misunderstood,  since  the 
Jews  who  reverenced  the  paper  on  which  it  was  written 
rejected  Him  of  whom  it  spake.  For  it  is  read  more 
devoutly  but  less  intelligently  than  other  books.  And  so 
we  hear  those  who  are  eager  and  well-informed  on  other 
subjects  confess  that,  while  they  make  some  acquaintance 
with  the  New  Testament,  they  cannot  find  the  Old  Testa- 
ment interesting.  How  could  they,  when  they  hardly  read 
it  at  all,  or  else,  like  Browning's  half-learned,  but  wholly 
self-satisfied  preacher  in  "  Christmas  Eve  and  Easter  Day/' 
"hug  the  book  of  books  to  pieces,"  reading  it  piece- 
meal and  haphazard,  isolating  it  from  its  New  Testament 
elucidations,  and  never  inquiring  into  those  circumstances 
of  time  and  place  without  knowledge  of  which  any  record 
of  the  past  loses  most  of  its  meaning  ?  Should  we  venture 
to  treat  any  other  book  whose  author  we  respected  in  such 
a  way  ?  Others  again  read  as  a  compendium  of  theology  or 
a  philosophical  dissertation,  what  is  really  a  collection  of 
Literature  in  its  four  most  attractive  forms  :  Biography,  that 
is,  portraits  of  the  heroes  who  make  history  ;  Letters,  that  is, 
the  most  spontaneous  utterances  of  human  thought ;  Poetry, 
that  is,  the  loftiest  utterances  of  human  thought ;  and,  above 
all,  History,  that  is,  "  philosophy  teaching  by  example." 

In  these  days  secular  history  is  being  re-written  by  men 
with  highest  gifts  of  thought  and  expression.  Instead  of 
retailing  trivial  anecdotes,  small  personalities,  crude  state- 
ments of  character,  and  partisan  arguments,  they  show 
which  were  really  the  important  events  of  the  past,  what 
led  up  to  them,  and  what  new  developments  of  national  life 
and  human  progress  may  be  derived  from  them.  The 
materials  for  secular  history  are  contradictory,  fragmentary, 
and  in  many  ways  unsatisfactory.  But  the  materials  for 
sacred  history  contain  all  we  need  know,  if  not  all  that 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

would  gratify  our  curiosity.  Its  writers,  under  Divine 
guidance,  were  unbiassed  and  absolutely  truthful.  (Occa- 
sional trifling  confusions  of  names  and  numbers,  which  are 
inevitable  in  writings  preserved  for  hundreds  of  years  in 
MS.,  cannot  affect  the  historic  worth  of  the  Scriptures  for 
any  candid  reader.)  Rightly  read,  this  history  shows 
explicitly  what  can  only  be  found  implicitly  in  other 
histories,  how  from  age  to  age,  in  spite  of  man's  weakness 
and  wickedness,  the  purposes  of  God  are  carried  out. 

Yet,  instead  of  tracing  the  march  of  events  by  aid  of 
chronology  and  geography,  the  handmaids  of  all  history, 
and  using  the  field-glass  that  shows  each  part  in  relation  to 
the  whole,  we  take  the  microscope  for  minute  investigation 
of  words  and  phrases  ;  we  revel  in  whimsical  applications 
of  morsels  of  misunderstood  narrative  :  using  for  instance, 
I  quote  facts,  Gen.  xliii.  27  and  1  Sam.  xxi.  8  (last  clause) 
as  texts  for  exhortations  that  might  have  been  fitly  based 
upon  Rom.  vi.  6  and  Rom.  xii.  1 1 ;  and  thus  treat  the  Bible 
as  the  fashionable  folks  of  the  Regency  in  Louis  XV.'s 
reign  treated  the  fine  and  valuable  engravings  whose 
figures  they  cut  out  to  paste  on  fans  and  fire-screens.  We 
can  prove  anything  from  Holy  Writ  when  we  regard  it  as 
a  long  string  of  "  texts  "  whose  dates  and  contexts  may  be 
ignored — e.g.,  that  God  does  not  exist,  from  a  sentence  of 
Psalm  xiv.  1. 

Sometimes  indeed  we  read  it  straight  through,  content  to 
pass  from  the  history  of  Esther  to  that  of  Job,  who  lived 
more  than  1000  years  earlier ;  from  the  end  of  Judah's 
Captivity  in  Daniel  to  the  latter  days  of  the  kingdom 
of  Israel  in  Hosea ;  from  Obadiah's  denunciation  of  Edom's 
exultation  over  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  to  Jonah's  message 
200  years  before  to  Nineveh,  which  had  been  swept  away 
ere  Jerusalem  was  attacked  ;  from  S.  Paul  in  his  Roman 
prison  writing  to  the  Colossians  to  S.  Paul  at  Corinth, 
eleven  years  back,  writing  to  the  Thessalonians.  Then  we 
complain  that  the  prophets  are  uninteresting,  and  S.  Paul's 
teaching  hard  to  understand  ! 

The  first  "  clew "  (or  guiding  thread)  to  a  right  under- 
standing of  Holy  Writ  is  to  realise  that  it  is  an  organic 
whole,  to  which  each  of  its  parts  has  a  definite  relation  ; 
the  second  clew  is  to  ascertain  that  relation.     Not  that  we 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

are  to  substitute  a  vague  "  general  idea  "  of  the  Bible  for  a 
close  study  of  its  details.  Every  flower  in  it,  as  Luther 
quaintly  says,  is  a  garden,  and  every  tree  a  forest.  But  we 
must  first  find  out  where,  when,  by  whom,  and  under  what 
conditions,  a  passage  was  penned,  and  what  it  could  have 
meant  for  those  who  originally  read  it,  before  we  go  on  to 
ask  what  meanings  its  words  may  be  made  to  include  for 
us.  Of  course  this  will  involve  some  trouble,  but  while 
God  does  make  provision  for  our  unavoidable  ignorance, 
He  does  not  make  provision  for  our  uncalled-for  indolence. 
The  good  we  each  get  from  the  Bible  must  depend  upon 
the  amount  of  earnest  effort  we  put  into  our  reading  of  it. 
Often,  because  we  will  not  make  that  effort,  we  are  half- 
hearted and  unstable  in  the  faith,  when  we  might  be  whole- 
hearted and  strong. 

The  whole  Bible  must  always  be  looked  at  in  its  two 
complementary  aspects  of  Unity  as  a  Divine  Book  on  the 
one  hand,  and  Diversity  as  a  Human  Book  on  the  other. 

Observe  (a)  Unity  of  Authorship.  Throughout  God 
speaks,  and  He  changeth  not  (James  i.  17).  The  same 
Lord  who  said  to  Adam,  "  Thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it " 
(Gen.  ii.  17),  said  to  S.  John,  "Fear  not"  (Rev.  i.  17).  But 
very  different  was  the  knowledge  of  the  Apostle  from  that 
of  our  first  father.  From  Eden  to  Patmos,  God's  revelation 
of  Himself  was  gradual,  as  men  were  able  to  bear  it  (John 
xvi.  12;  1  Cor.  iii.  2).  "  Truth  is  one,  and  right  is  ever  one," 
sings  Edmund  Spenser  ;  but  humanity,  educated  by  God,  is 
ever  making  progress,  and  so  His  teaching,  though  one,  was 
not  uniform.  From  age  to  age  there  was  a  continuous 
advance,  not  from  less  to  more  true,  but  from  simple  to  com- 
plex manifestations  of  truth,  each  of  which  must  therefore 
be  considered  in  connexion  with  its  own  period.  *  And 
though  the  Canon  was  closed  1800  years  ago,  the  Bible  is  a 
book  of  progress  still,  for  its  meaning  can  never  be  exhausted. 
Its  Divine  Author  still  leads  us  into  all  the  truth,  and 
each  generation  may  learn  more  from  its  pages  than  the 
last.  Many  things  are  clearer  to  the  average  Christian  of 
to-day  than  to  the  most  enlightened  Christian  of  bygone 
times,  as  those  of  us  who  read  the  religious  books  of  the 
remote  past  know  well. 

(J?)   Unity  of  Time.     Its  history  covers   3700  years,  but 


1 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

is  most  unequally  distributed  over  that  period.  More  than 
2000  years  is  compressed  into  nine  chapters  of  Genesis ; 
while  the  40  years  from  149 1  to  145 1  fills  more  than  140 
chapters  ;  the  48  years  from  1064  to  1016  fills  more  than 
130  chapters  ;  the  week  of  our  Lord's  Passion  fills  25 
chapters  ;  the  last  15  years  of  S.  Paul's  life  100  chapters, 
reckoning  his  Epistles. 

(c)  Unity  of  Place.  Find  on  the  globe  Rome,  the  Black 
Sea,  the  Persian  Gulf,  and  Sinai.  The  area  enclosed  by 
a  curved  line  drawn  through  these  four  places  is  the  scene 
of  the  whole  Biblical  history.  By  far  the  greatest  part  of 
it  is  concerned  wholly  with  a  little  strip  of  coast,  scarcely 
140  miles  long,  between  Sidon  and  Gaza. 

(d)  Unity  of  Subject.  The  Bible  is  not  a  history  of  the 
world,  but  of  God's  Kingdom  on  earth,  and  of  His  testa- 
ments or  covenants  (see  2  Cor.  iii.  6,  14,  R.V.  margin)  with 
a  Chosen  People  whom  He  called,  redeemed,  and  trained, 
in  order  that  He  might  come  to  them  bringing  full  salva- 
tion. The  Old  Covenant  was  with  Israel  in  anticipation 
of  His  first  coming  ;  the  New  Covenant  is  with  the  Church 
in  anticipation  of  His  second  coming. 

Hence  the  structure  of  the  Old  Testament  corresponds 
throughout  to  that  of  the  New  Testament.  In  each  we  have 
(1)  God's  Revelation  and  Covenant.  See  Pentateuch  and 
Gospels.  (2)  What  was  therefore  done,  i.e.,  History.  See 
Joshua  to  Esther  and  Acts.  (3)  What  was  therefore  taught, 
i.e.,  Doctrine.  See  Job  to  Malachi  and  Romans  to  Revela- 
tion. The  curse  which  closes  the  Old  Testament  (Mai. 
iv.  6)  passes  into  the  blessing  which  closes  the  New  Testa- 
ment (Rev.  xxii.  21).  Moreover  "the  New  Testament  is 
latent  in  the  Old  Testament ;  the  Old  Testament  is  laid 
open  in  the  New  Testament."  Each  is  the  necessary 
complement  of  the  other,  and  we  cannot  neglect  the  Old 
Testament  without  in  the  end  losing  our  hold  upon  the 
New  Testament.  This  is  well  brought  out  in  Dr.  Saphir's 
"  Christ  and  the  Scriptures  "  (Morgan  &  Scott,  is.  6d.). 

The  Old  Testament  is  the  Divine  introduction  to  the 
New  Testament.  Israel's  history  is  the  key  to  the  history 
of  the  whole  world  ;  and  since  it  is  typical  throughout  of 
the  history  of  the  Church,  it  has  a  peculiar  application  to 
ourselves  (1  Cor.  x.  11). 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

The  Scriptures  have  one  theme,  for  they  refer  to  one 
Person.  Throughout  "  they  contain  the  display  of  His 
excellences,  and  are  the  lively  picture  of  His  matchless 
beauty  "  {A  rchbishop  Leighton). 

The  whole  subject  of  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible  is 
handled  in  a  very  helpful  way  in  the  first  chapter  of  Dr. 
Westcott's  "  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  the  Gospels " 
(Macmillan,  \os.  6d.). 

We  turn  now  to  the  human  side  of  the  Bible,  and  con- 
sider its  diversity. 

(a)  Diversity  of  Authorship.  "The  Bible  is  authoritative, 
for  it  is  the  Voice  of  God  ;  it  is  intelligible,  for  it  is  in  the 
language  of  man."  Its  authors  were  penmen,  not  mere  pens. 
The  Old  Testament  contains  39  books,  all  written  in 
Hebrew  (except  Ezra  iv.  8 — vi.  18,  vii.  12-26;  Jer.  x.  n, 
and  Dan.  ii.  4 — vii.  28,  which  are  in  Aramaic),  during 
rather  less  than  1100  years  (1490  to  39/),  by  26  widely 
different  authors  whose  names  we  know  (viz.,  Moses, 
Samuel,  David,  Solomon,  Asaph,  Heman,  Ethan,  Agur, 
Ezra,  Nehemiah,  and  the  sixteen  Prophets),  and  doubtless 
by  others  also.  The  New  Testament  contains  27  books, 
all  written  in  Greek,  during  rather  less  than  50  years,  by 
nine  authors,  viz.,  SS.  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  John,  Paul, 
Peter,  James,  Jude,  and  the  author  of  Hebrews.  With  the 
possible  exception  of  S.  Luke's  two  books,  it  was  all 
written  by  Israelites,  though  not  for  Israelites  only. 

Questions  too  complex  to  be  entered  upon  fully  here 
have  recently  arisen  as  to  the  date  and  authorship  of  vari- 
ous portions  of  the  Bible.  That,  for  instance,  Deuteronomy 
was  written,  not  merely  discovered,  in  the  reign  of  Josiah  ; 
that  the  second  part  of  Isaiah  is  from  the  hand  of  a  much 
later  prophet  than  the  first,  are  hypotheses  fascinating  to 
some  minds.  But  they  are  only  hypotheses,  not  proved 
facts,  and  wider  knowledge  has  frequently  overthrown 
hypotheses  which  seemed  equally  plausible.  The  argu- 
ments in  favour  of  the  earlier  dates  assigned  for  generations 
to  these  books  are  so  strong  that,  until  more  convincing 
evidence  than  any  as  yet  brought  forward  can  be  given  for 
setting  those  dates  aside,  the  most  accurate  and  judicious 
scholars  hesitate  to  treat  such  hypotheses  as  if  they 
belonged  to  the  region  of  knowledge  and  not  of  conjecture. 


. 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

We  must  avoid  on  the  one  hand  rash  assumption  that 
traditional  views  are  wrong ;  and  on  the  other  hand 
equally  rash  assumption  that  all  traditional  views  can  hold 
their  own.  That  Job  is  a  contemporary  biography,  or  that 
Joshua  was  written  by  him  whose  name  it  bears,  is  neither 
proved  nor  provable  ;  in  either  case  it  is  possible,  but  not 
probable,  and  the  question  is  not  of  vital  importance. 
That  all  the  four  Gospels  were  written  before  the  end  of 
the  first  Christian  century,  and  are  therefore  contemporary 
biography,  has  in  our  own  days  been  established  upon 
evidence  to  which  our  fathers  had  no  access,  and  to  this 
question  the  gravest  issues  belong. 

{U)  Diversity  of  Method.  More  and  more  clearly  from  age 
to  age  God  has  made  known  to  man  His  truth  by  history, 
type,  prophecy,  sign,  vision,  and  parable,  "  by  divers  portions 
and  in  divers  manners"  (Heb.  i.  1,  R.V.).  The  Bible  may 
be  the  history  of  one  nation  only,  but  that,  as  the  one 
unmingled  race  of  high  antiquity,  has  the  most  persistent 
of  nationalities,  and  the  longest  of  histories,  and  is  connected 
with  almost  every  other  important  nation  in  the  world. 

Nowadays  it  is  said  in  some  quarters  that  the  Bible  is 
in  peril  from  "  Higher  Criticism,"  and  certain  good  people, 
whose  piety  is  greater  than  their  intelligence,  echo  the 
assertion,  and  deprecate  criticism  altogether.  The  faith 
of  unstable  souls  is  indeed  in  peril  from  a  criticism  that 
errs  in  not  being  high  enough.  But  from  criticism  of 
the  right  kind  the  Bible  has  everything  to  gain,  and  if 
we  are  wise  we  shall  read  it  in  the  fullest  light  our  own 
age  can  throw  upon  it.  Ignorance,  not  knowledge,  is  the 
real  foe ;  and  just  as  the  Church  gains  fresh  strength  in 
times  of  persecution,  so  Holy  Writ  wins  fresh  appreciation 
in  times  when  it  is  being  tried  (Psalm  cxix.  140,  R.V. 
margin).  For  when  unassailed,  it  is  also  in  great 
measure  unstudied ;  whereas  the  labours  of  scholars  in 
various  departments  have  lately,  as  never  before,  shown 
the  unity  and  beauty  of  its  literary  structure,  and  the 
minute  accuracy  of  its  historical  narratives.  And  when 
we  cease  to  read  into  it  what  it  does  not  say,  and  clearly 
ascertain  what  it  does  say,  we  discover  again  and  again 
that  its  statements  are  in  harmony  with  the  latest  results 
of  scientific  research. 


8  INTRODUCTION, 

Moreover,  living  in  days  of  worldwide  missionary  effort 
and  worldwide  missionary  success,  we  can  assert  as  the 
Christians  of  past  times  could  not  assert,  that  the  Bible, 
written  in  a  remote  age  and  an  obscure  country,  has  proved 
its  Divine  origin  by  its  power  to  win  human  hearts  of  every 
race  and  to  transform  human  lives  in  every  clime  as  no 
other  book  ever  did  or  ever  could  do.  S.  T.  Coleridge,  that 
profound  thinker,  says  that  for  him  the  most  convincing 
proof  of  its  Divine  origin  is  that  it  finds  him  at  deeper 
depths  of  his  being  than  any  other  book.  These  are 
matters  that  claim  our  earnest  consideration.  For  in  the 
near  future  (I  quote  Bishop  Phillips  Brooks,  preaching 
from  Matt.  xxii.  37,  on  "  The  Mind's  Love  for  God  ")  "  there 
will  be  an  ever-increasing  demand  for  thoughtful  saints  ; 
for  men  and  women,  earnest,  lofty,  spiritual,  but  also  full  of 
intelligence,  knowing  the  meaning  and  the  reasons  of  the 
things  they  believe,  and  not  content  to  worship  the  God 
to  whom  they  owe  everything  with  less  than  their  whole 
nature." 

By  the  Word  we  are  quickened,  that  is,  made  alive  (Psalm 
cxix.  50),  by  it  we  grow  (1  Peter  ii.  2),  by  it  we  become 
strong  (1  John  ii.  14).  There  is  no  surer  sign  of  bodily 
sickness  than  lack  of  appetite  for  wholesome  food.  There 
is  no  surer  sign  of  spiritual  sickness  than  lack  of  appetite 
for  that  which  is  sweeter  than  honey  (Psalm  xix.  10 ;  Jer. 
xv.  16  ;  Ezek.  iii.  1-3).  Does  the  Christian  life  seem  unreal? 
Is  the  Christian  faith  beset  with  difficulties  amid  the  conflict 
of  human  opinions  and  the  clatter  of  controversies  and 
arguments  ?  Is  this  your  bewildered  query  concerning  the 
Son  of  God,  as  concerning  a  Being,  awful,  distant,  vague, 
"  Who  is  He  that  I  may  believe  on  Him  ?  "  (John  ix.  36). 

"  Have  ye  not  read  ? "  (Matt.  xix.  4),  "  Understandest 
thou  what  thou  readest  ?  "  (Acts  viii.  30).  Take  comfort  in 
the  knowledge  that  all  may  read  and  all  may  understand, 
for  all  who  ask  may  have  the  guidance  of  Him  through 
whom  the  Scripture  not  only  was  but  is  inspired  to  be  the 
living  and  life-giving  Word  for  every  age  and  every  race 
(Luke  xi.  13  ;  James  i.  5). 


FIRST    TERM. 
The  Days  of  the  Patriarchs. 
The  Chosen  Family.     B.C.  4004 — 1490.     From   the    Creation  to   the  erection 
of  the  Tabernacle  p.   19. 

SECOND    TERM. 
The   Days   of   Moses. 
The  Chosen  Nation.     The  Tabernacle  and  the  Theocracy.     B.C.  1490 — 1256. 
From  the  erection  of  the  Tabernacle  to  the  Midianite  Oppression     p.  39. 

THIRD    TERM. 

The    Days    of    David. 

The  Chosen  Nation  under  one  King.     b.c.  1256 — 1018.     From  the  Midianite 
Oppression  to  the  choice  of  a  site  for  the  Temple        .         .         .p.  60. 

FOURTH    TERM. 
The    Days    of    Solomon. 
The  Chosen  Nation  Centre  of  an  Empire.    The  First  Temple.     B.C.  1018 — 915. 
From  the  choice  of  a  site  for  the  Temple  to  the  accessions  of  Jehoshaphat 
and  Ahab     .  .......     p.  78. 

FIFTH    TERM. 
The    Days    of    the    Prophets. 
Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes,     b.c.  915 — 697.     From 
the  accessions  of  Jehoshaphat  and  Ahab  to  the  death  of  Hezekiah       p.  95. 

SIXTH    TERM. 
The    Days    of    Jeremiah. 
Decline   and    Fall   of  the   Kingdom    of  Judah.     b.c.  697 — 588.     From   the 
death  of  Hezekiah  to  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem        .         .         .         .     p.  1 18. 

SEVENTH    TERM. 
The    Days    of    Ezra. 
The   Restoration  and  the  Second  Temple,     b.c.  606—397.     From   the  Fall 
of  Jerusalem  to  the  close  of  the  Old  Testament  Canon      .         .     p.  138. 

EIGHTH    TERM. 
The    Days    of    the    Son    of    Man. 
The  Gospel  preached  to  the  Jews.     b.c.  6 — a.d.  51.     From  the  coming  of 
Christ  to  the  Conference  at  Jerusalem        .         .         .         .         .     p.  213. 

NINTH    TERM. 
The    Days    of    S.    Paul. 
The  Gospel  preached  to  the  Gentiles,     a.d.  51 — 97.     From  the  Conference 
at  Jerusalem  to  the  close  of  the  New  Testament  Canon    .         .    p.  278. 

9 


GENERAL    PLAN 

OF   THE 

CHRONOLOGICAL   SCRIPTURE   CYCLE. 

DIVIDING  the  Bible,  which  contains  1189  chapters, 
into  nine  portions  of  about  132  chapters  each,  we 
read  it  through  in  3  years,  36  months,  1095  days,  or  nine 
terms  of  four  months,  taking  one  chapter  a  day  and  an 
extra  chapter  in  the  course  of  every  12  days. 

The  section  for  each  term  is  headed  by  (a)  A  title 
showing  the  main  subject  of  the  term's  reading ;  (b)  The 
dates  marking  off  its  period  of  history  ;  (c)  The  names  of 
the  books  and  parts  of  books  to  be  read ;  (d)  A  motto  for 
the  Bible  student,  taken  from  these  books  ;  (e)  A  tabular 
scheme  of  the  term's  reading.  It  consists  of  nine  chapters, 
each  of  which  may  be  read  either  in  connexion  with  the 
rest  of  the  section  or  with  the  corresponding  chapters  of 
the  other  sections :  that  is,  either  historically  or  topically, 
as  we  divide  the  Bible  into  nine  successive  sections,  or  take 
a  ninefold  view  of  it  from  beginning  to  end. 

"  Clews  to  Holy  Writ "  is  not  a  commentary  to  be 
merely  read  through,  but  a  series  of  suggestions  which 
mean  little  for  those  who  do  not  work  each  out  for  them- 
selves, studying  every  section  closely  and  constantly,  and 
looking  up  all  passages  referred  to. 

The  chapters  in  each  section  are  as  follows : — 

I.  General  Summary,  gathering  up  the  threads  of 
our  story,  and  ascertaining  the  main  events  and  most 
striking  lessons  of  our  period  as  we  glance  backwards  and 
forwards. 

II.  BOOKS  TO  BE  Read,  indicating  their  literary  char- 
acteristics and  keynotes,  and  marking  off  from  the  history 


CHRONOLOGICAL  SCRIPTURE   CYCLE.  u 

which  relates  the  action  of  the  period,  the  poetry  which 
utters  its  best  thought.  We  do  not  read  the  Bible  only  for 
the  intellectual  enjoyment  of  its  many  literary  charms,  but 
we  shall  enter  into  its  higher  aspects  all  the  better  for  not 
ignoring  these. 

III.  PERIODS  AND  DATES. — Here  we  arrange  the  order 
of  our  reading  in  detail,  and  map  out  our  whole  period  into 
forty  well-defined  shorter  epochs.  Where  exact  dates  are 
out  of  the  question,  approximate  dates  are  given,  and  here 
and  there  we  disregard  the  actual  order  of  time  in  order  to 
round  off  an  important  subject.  Very  numerous  careful 
statements  of  hours,  days,  weeks,  and  years  in  Holy  Writ 
show  the  importance  attributed  to  chronology  by  its  writers. 

IV.  GEOGRAPHY. — Here  we  connect  each  chapter  of 
history  with  particular  places,  whose  physical  characteristics 
are  swiftly  sketched. 

V.  HEROES. — The  biographical  interest  of  any  period 
centres  round  the  makers  of  its  history.  We  are  apt  to 
think  of  Bible  characters  as  mere  abstractions  rather  than 
"  men  of  like  passions  with  us."  Hence  we  must  endeavour 
to  realise  the  individualities  of  those  who  long  years  ago 
strove  with  the  power  of  evil  and  were  strong  in  the  grace 
of  God,  that  we  may  take  to  ourselves  the  practical 
lessons  of  their  lives,  which  will  be  given  as  a  rule  through 
New  Testament  quotations  for  the  first  seven,  and  Old 
Testament  quotations  for  the  last  two  terms. 

VI.  The  Coming  Messiah. — It  has  been  well  said  that 
the  best  key  to  the  mystery  of  the  written  Word  is  the 
mystery  of  the  Incarnate  Word.  So,  beginning  at  Moses, 
we  trace  the  dominant  theme  of  the  Bible  (Luke  xxiv.  27), 
its  one  great  Hope  of  ever-growing  brightness,  brought  at 
each  crisis  in  the  providential  history  of  the  world  within 
narrower  limits,  and  illustrated  by  fresh  details.  There  are 
two  kinds  of  Messianic  prophecy. 

(a)  Types,  or  prophecies  in  picture  or  action.  "  Type " 
means  "  likeness,"  and  Scripture  types  are  "  likenesses  "  of 
good  things  to  come,  or  earthly  shadows  of  heavenly 
substances.  We  discriminate  typical  (1)  Persons — e.g., 
Moses  ;  (2)  Things — e.g.,  Manna  ;  (3)  Ordinances — e.g.,  the 
Day  of  Atonement ;  (4)  Offices — e.g.,  Prophet,  Priest,  and 
King ;    (5)  Events — e.g.,  the   Exodus  ;    (6)  Acts — e.g.,  the 


12  GENERAL  PLAN   OF   THE 

burial  of  Jeremiah's  girdle.  These  last  are  often  called 
Signs.  Observe,  that  although  we  may  use  types  to  illus- 
trate and  confirm  doctrines,  we  cannot  prove  doctrines 
from  them  ;  also  that  search  for  new  and  far-fetched  types 
often  leads  us  astray.  There  are  quite  enough  unmistakable 
ones  to  afford  study  for  our  whole  lives.  Here  again  the 
Bible  is  its  own  best  explanation. 

{U)  Predictions,  or  prophecies  in  words  or  speech,  which 
are  either  (i)  Direct,  i.e.,  referring  only  to  Christ  {e.g.,  Zech. 
ix.  9)  ;  (2)  Indirect,  having  a  primary  historical  fulfilment 
in  some  one  who  partially  realised  what  Christ  realised 
wholly  {e.g.,  Psalm  lxxii.).  "  While  the  words  of  the  Psalms 
and  Prophecies  not  only  admit  of,  but  even  demand, 
germinant  and  springing  developments,  they  are  primarily 
applicable  to  events  and  circumstances  of  their  own  days  " 
{Calvin).  Their  ultimate  fulfilments  grow  out  of  primary 
fulfilments  which  it  must  be  our  first  business  to  under- 
stand, but  neither  contradict  nor  supersede  them. 

These  Predictions  fall  into  three  classes — viz.,  those 
fulfilled  at  the  first  Advent,  those  to  be  fulfilled  at  the 
second  Advent,  and  those  that  have  a  double  fulfilment  in 
both. 

The  evidence  of  miracle  is  strongest  in  the  age  when  the 
miracle  is  wrought ;  the  evidence  of  prophecy  is  strongest 
in  the  age  most  remote  from  its  utterance.  Yet  even  the 
earliest  Christian  apologists  appeal,  especially  in  argument 
with  Jews,  to  prophecy  rather  than  miracle  (see  Blunt's 
"  Christian  Church  of  the  First  Three  Centuries,"  chap.  vii.). 
For  us  the  progress  of  events,  and  the  greatly  increased 
knowledge  of  the  past  now  possessed,  give  the  prophetic 
aspect  of  Scripture  a  special  importance.  But  we  must 
remember  that  Predictions  are  not  mere  adjuncts  of  re- 
velation, attached  to  it  from  without,  in  order  to  prove  it 
to  us,  but  essential  parts  of  it.  The  Scripture  record  is 
nearly  always  twofold.  The  Prophet  looks  forward,  and 
says,  "  It  shall  be,"  ere  the  Historian  looks  backward  and 
says,  "  It  was  "  (comp.  Gen.  xv.  13,  14  with  Exodus).  Its 
Prophecy  is  History  anticipated,  its  History  is  Prophecy 
fulfilled;  but  while  its  History  ceases  1800  years  ago,  its 
Prophecy  looks  on  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

In  our  eighth  term  we  open  the  New  Testament  as  if 


CHRONOLOGICAL  SCRIPTURE   CYCLE.  13 

we  had  never  opened  it  before,  to  discover  how  far  the 
Messiah  of  History  realises,  and  how  far  He  transcends,  the 
Messiah  of  Prophecy  whom  we  have  learned  to  know.  "  And 
by  the  title  of  Christ  or  Messiah,  so  slowly  defined,  so 
variously  interpreted,  so  gloriously  fulfilled,  God  teaches 
us  to  find  the  true  meaning  of  all  history,  teaches  us  at 
all  times  to  wait,  to  watch,  to  hope  "  (  Westcotl). 

VII.  God's  Revelation  of  Himself  to  Man.— 
"  Revelation  is  not  the  sum  of  the  happiest  guesses,  or  wisest 
observations  and  reflections,  which  devout  and  thoughtful 
men  have  made  regarding  God  ;  but  it  is  the  sum  of  what 
God  Himself  has  imparted  to  the  minds  of  men  to  guide 
ancl  rule  their  thoughts  about  Him  "  {Dr.  Marcus  Dods). 
Man  seeking  God  is  the  origin  of  other  religions.  God 
seeking  man  is  the  origin  of  the  Christian  religion.  Slowly 
and  gradually,  as  we  shall  see,  did  God  make  Himself 
known  by  new  Names  and  new  dealings  with  men.  Yet 
our  revelation  of  "  the  glory  of  the  Eternal  Trinity  "  is  not 
only  in  harmony  with,  but  was  dimly  adumbrated  by,  .the 
earliest  manifestations  of  the  God  of  Israel. 

VIII.  Man's  Relation  to  God  in  Worship. — The 
history  of  religion  is  the  history  of  man's  response  to  these 
manifestations.  This  will  lead  us  through  Sacrifice  and 
Prayer  in  their  most  general  form,  to  the  Mosaic  Ritual, 
the  Tabernacle,  the  two  Temples,  and  the  organisation  of 
the  Church.  Here  too  we  notice  the  ever-recurring  tendency 
to  some  form  of  idolatry. 

For  the  first  two  terms  illustrative  passages  are  in- 
dicated. After  this  we  come  to  periods  fully  elucidated  by 
contemporary  Psalms.  In  the  later  sections  we  note  how 
sacred  history  is  corroborated  by  secular  history. 

IX.  Thirty-two  Questions.— These  are  not  intended 
as  a  test  of  memory  at  the  end  of  the  term's  reading,  but 
of  observation  and  thought  from  day  to  day.  Many  of 
them  are  planned  to  suggest  topics  and  modes  of  research. 
At  first  sight  they  may  seem  full  of  unknown  things,  but 
though  some  are  more  difficult  than  others,  the  most 
difficult  are  less  difficult  than  they  appear.  That  they 
demand  care  and  accuracy  rather  than  much  previous 
knowledge  has  been  proved  by  the  following  fact.  In  our 
classes,  although  the  best  papers  are  always  sent  in  by  those 


i4  GENERAL  PLAN  OF  THE 

who  take  the  most  pains,  they  are  not  always  sent  in  by 
those  who  have  had  most  educational  advantages. 

Every  examination  paper  follows  out  the  term's  reading  in 
order,  and  winds  up  with  some  questions  glancing  through 
the  whole  of  it.  Early  in  each  term,  those  Students  of  the 
College  by  Post  who  have  sent  in  answers  to  the  questions 
of  last  term  receive  the  loan  of  a  MS.  containing  the  com- 
plete Answers  to  compare  with  their  own  and  copy.  They 
thus  get  the  full  benefit  of  the  questions  they  were  not 
successful  over  themselves  as  well  as  the  benefit  of  having 
their  work  corrected  by  our  teachers.  These  Answers  are 
not  always  exactly  in  the  same  form  as  those  expected 
from  students.  A  mere  reference  sometimes  stands  for  the 
statement  asked  for,  and  in  order  to  supply  information 
not  readily  accessible  to  students,  explanations  or  quotations 
are  added  in  other  cases  to  the  actual  reply. 

The  figure  at  the  end  of  each  question  represents  the 
marks  to  be  gained  by  answering  it  completely.  The 
maximum  of  marks  for  each  term's  paper  is  400,  and 
for  all  the  nine  papers,  3600. 

Most  of  those  who  have  been  through  the  C.S.C.  once 
wish  to  go  through  it  again.  At  their  request  a  second 
series  of  questions  and  answers  more  advanced  than  the 
first  has  been  prepared  (see  p.  309).  These  should  in  no 
case  be  attempted  until  the  first  series  has  been  worked  out. 

Some  of  those  who  have  found  the  C.S.C.  course  useful 
and  stimulating  are  helping  me  to  form  a  Prize  Fund,  by 
means  of  which  we  are  able  to  reward  those  of  our  students 
who  work  out  all  the  nine  papers  well.  Those  who  obtain 
over  3000  marks  choose  as  a  First  Class  prize  a  book  or 
books  to  the  value  of  \os.  6d. ;  those  who  obtain  over 
2400  marks  choose  a  Second  Class  prize  to  the  value  of 
Js.  6d. ;  and  those  who  obtain  over  1 800  marks  choose  a 
Third  Class  prize  to  the  value  of  $s. 

The  names  of  prize-winners  are  published  in  my  annual 
Letter  to  our  Students. 

Over  100  students  have  already  won  these  rewards, 
and  the  number  promises  to  increase  steadily.  Possibly 
some  readers  of  "  Clews  to  Holy  Writ "  who  are  independent 
of  such  aid  as  our  classes  give,  and  desire  to  encourage 
systematic  Bible  study,  may  feel  kindly  disposed  to  con- 


CHRONOLOGICAL  SCRIPTURE   CYCLE.  15 

tribute  towards  these  hardly  earned  and  greatly  appreciated 
prizes. 

Let  me  conclude  with  twelve  practical  suggestions  to 
C.S.C.  students,  and  to  others  who  adopt  the  C.S.C.  scheme. 
I  will  word  them  abruptly  for  the  sake  of  brevity. 

What  we  read Heb.  iv.  12  ;  2  Peter  i.  20,  21. 

Why  we  read       ....     Luke  i.  4  ;  2  Tim.  iii.  16,  17. 

(  Acts    xvii.   1 1  ;  Prov.    ii.  4,   5  ; 
How  we  should  read '.     .     -<       1   Cor.   ii.    13;  James   i.  21  ; 

(      1  Thess.  ii.  13. 
We  must  C  Critically \       in  order  to  know    What  to  Believe, 
read     <  Devotionally  „         „  Whom  to  Love, 

the  Bible  ( Practically  „         „  How  to  Live. 

I.  Provide  yourself  with  the  following  books  : — 

(a)  The  Authorised  Version  of  the  Bible,  with  references. 

(b)  The  Revised  Version,  which  may  now  be  had  for 
tenpence.  This  is  most  helpful  to  the  student,  not  only 
because  of  its  greater  accuracy  and  marginal  information, 
but  also  in  discriminating  poetry  from  prose,  and  substi- 
tuting for  the  little  "  verses  "  that  are  so  largely  responsible 
for  the  "  collection  of  texts  "  view  of  Scripture,  a  first-rate 
system  of  paragraphs.  Read  the  two  prefaces  to  it  care- 
fully. 

Look  out  the  A.V.  references,  and  study  the  daily 
chapter  in  both  A.V.  and  R.V.  Striking  differences 
between  them  might  be  underlined  in  the  latter. 

(c).  Helps  to  the  Study  of  the  Bible  (Frowde,  Clarendon 
Press,  is.  and  3s.  6d.).  This  you  need  not  get  if  you 
already  have  "  The  Oxford  Bible  for  Teachers."  It  is 
referred  to  here  as  "  Oxford  Helps." 

Those  who  wish  for  more  books  will  find  the  following 
useful : — 

(a)  "  The  Bible  Handbook,"  by  Dr.  Angus  (Religious 
Tract  Society,  5^.). 

(b)  The  Student's  Old  Testament  History  and  The 
Student's  New  Testament  History  (each  js.  6d.,  Murray). 

(c)  Concise  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  21s.,  or  smaller 
Bible  Dictionary,  by  Dr.  Smith,  js.  6d.  (Murray),  or  Cassell's 
Bible  Dictionary,  js.  6d. 


1 6  GENERAL  PLAN  OF  THE 

(d)  Student's  Edition  of  the  Speaker's  Commentary,  in 
six  volumes  (js.  6d.  each,  Murray). 

(e)  Bishop  Ellicott's  Commentary  for  English  Readers,  in 
eight  volumes  {21s.  each,  Cassell). 

(f)  A  good  Concordance,  say  Eadie's  Cruden. 

But  unless  you  can  give  much  more  than  half  an  hour  a 
day  to  C.S.C.,  you  will  find  your  whole  time  occupied  by 
right  use  of  the  three  books  named  as  absolutely  necessary, 
and  of  "  Clews  to  Holy  Writ."  A  single  chapter  will  claim 
more  and  more  of  your  time  with  growing  interest  and 
knowledge.  If  you  not  only  "  read,"  but  "  mark,  learn,  and 
inwardly  digest "  (four  distinct  processes),  you  will  probably 
feel  inclined  to  diminish  rather  than  increase  the  quantity 
of  your  reading  as  you  improve  its  quality. 

II.  Pray  daily  ere  you  read  your  chapter,  in  such  words 
as  Psalm  xxv.  4,  5,  or  Psalm  cxix.  18,  or  Eph.  i.  17-19,  for 
the  Holy  Spirit's  aid.  Could  we  have  greater  help  towards 
understanding  a  difficult  book  than  the  power  of  speaking 
constantly  with  its  author  ? 

Pray  also  after  you  have  read,  for  every  precept  may  be 
turned  into  petition,  and  every  promise  into  praise. 

"  Young  men,"  Professor  Beck  of  Tubingen  used  to  say 
to  his  students,  "  let  me  remind  you  that  theology  without 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  only  a  cold  stone,  but  absolute 
poison." 

III.  Mark  one  striking  text  in  each  chapter,  and  look  at 
yesterday's  marked  text  ere  you  begin  to-day's  reading. 
There  are  many  advantages  in  using  always  one  copy  of 
the  Bible,  so  mark  it  neatly  or  you  may  regret  not  having 
done  so  hereafter. 

IV.  Find  for  each  Old  Testament  chapter  a  New  Testa- 
ment quotation  or  allusion  or  precept  or  illustration.  The 
references  will  help  you  here. 

V.  Ask  daily  after  you  have  read  your  chapter,  "  What 
does  it  teach  me  concerning  (a)  God,  (b)  Man,  (c)  Christ, 
who  is  the  Son  of  God,  the  very  image  of  God's  substance 
as  the  Incarnate  God  ;  who  is  the  Son  of  Man,  made  like 
unto  His  brethren  in  all  things  as  the  Divine  Man  ?  "  Ask 
also  what  practical  lessons  you  may  gain  from  it  for  your 
own  daily  life.  Treat  the  Bible  as  a  matchless  temple, 
wherein  we  may  increase  our  awe  and  excite  our  devotion 


CHRONOLOGICAL  SCRIPTURE   CYCLE.  17 

to  God  (I  quote  Robert  Boyle's  fine  simile).  For  we  suffer 
great  spiritual  loss  when  we  regard  it  merely  as  an  arsenal 
for  weapons  of  defence  and  offence  ;  when  we  only  take 
our  own  views  to  it  for  confirmation  and  other  people's 
views  to  it  for  condemnation.  Controversy  is  both  easier 
and  more  exciting  than  humble  search  for  truth,  and  there- 
fore it  pervades  so  much  of  the  so-called  "  religious " 
writing  and  talking  of  the  day.  But  if  we  would  really 
benefit  by  the  study  of  God's  Word,  we  must,  as  Bible 
readers,  avoid  this  spirit  of  contention  altogether. 

Of  the  three  kinds  of  study  indicated  in  the  table  above, 
"  Clews  to  Holy  Writ "  deals  mainly  with  Critical  study, 
not  because  we  regard  it  as  the  most  important,  but  because 
the  Bible  must  appeal  to  the  intelligence  ere  it  can  appeal 
to  the  heart  and  will.  Critical  study  is  a  means  to  a  higher 
end  which  we  do  not  ignore,  but  lead  up  to — viz.,  those 
Devotional  and  Practical  applications  of  our  study  in  which 
others  can  help  us  least,  since  we  must  each  of  us  make 
them  for  ourselves,  if  they  are  to  be  worth  anything. 

VI.  Commit  to  memory  at  the  rate  of  one  or  two  verses 
a  day,  some  specially  beautiful  and  important  passages  in 
the  term's  reading.  We  cannot  store  up  what  we  take  in 
too  carefully,  since  we  know  not  how  soon  we  may  be 
called  upon  to  give  it  out. 

VII.  The  C.S.C.  scheme  is  not  meant  to  be  tried  for  a 
term  or  two,  but  to  be  followed  throughout.  Hence  all 
should  begin  at  the  beginning,  and  do  each  month's  reading 
in  the  month  and  each  term's  in  the  term.  If  one  term's 
work  is  interrupted,  another  term  should  be  given  to  it,  as 
it  is  far  better  to  extend  the  whole  course  over  more  than 
three  years  than  to  break  the  continuous  chain  of  study  ; 
for  each  section  takes  all  the  preceding  sections  for  granted 
and  is  closely  linked  with  the  following  sections.  The 
tabular  schemes  should  be  used  throughout  together  with 
the  chapters  headed  "  Periods  and  Dates."  As  the  course 
is  planned  for  any  three  years,  particular  months  cannot  be 
considered,  but  since  three  years  contain  thirty-six  months, 
and  the  Bible  contains  11 89  chapters,  the  average  number 
of  chapters  read  each  month  will  be  -J|^=33,  as  shown 
in  the  arabic  numerals  on  the  tabular  schemes.  A  second 
chapter  can  be  read  on  any  day  that  there  is  more  time 


1 8  CHRONOLOGICAL  SCRIPTURE   CYCLE. 

and  when  the  first  chapter  is  very  short  or  a  mere  list  of 
names. 

VIII.  Set  up  a  note  book  or  a  sheaf  of  loose  sheets 
fastened  at  the  corner,  for  working  out  subjects  as  you  read, 
and  accumulating  material  for  answers  to  the  questions, 
which  should  be  before  you  throughout  the  term. 

IX.  Towards  the  end  of  the  term,  begin  to  prepare  a 
fair  copy  of  your  answers.  Boiling  down  several  pages  of 
notes  into  a  few  lines  of  terse  and  concentrated  information 
is  a  most  instructive  process.  Let  it  become  familiar  to 
you,  for  you  will  lighten  your  teachers'  work  not  a  little  by 
sending  them  concise,  clearly  arranged,  and  clearly  written 
answers  instead  of  diffuse  and  confused  ones. 

X.  Answer  some  questions  if  you  cannot  answer  all,  and 
remember  that  since  no  answer  can  win  more  than  maxi- 
mum marks,  nothing  is  gained  by  giving  more  than  you 
are  asked  for.  Write  on  both  sides  of  the  paper,  leaving 
a  margin,  and  number  your  answers  in  the  margin.  Give 
your  name  and  address  at  the  end  of  your  paper.  It  will 
be  corrected  if  it  reaches  your  teacher  at  the  time 
appointed. 

XI.  Remember  (i)  That  if  the  chapter  is  difficult,  the 
difficulties  will  probably  disappear  as  you  read  on.  There 
are  few  which  cannot  be  traced,  if  we  are  honest,  either  to 
Prejudice,  Presumption,  Ignorance,or  Carelessness.  "  When 
two  texts  contradict  one  another,  a  third  will  be  found  to 
reconcile  them,"  was  the  helpful  rule  of  the  Rabbi  Ishmael. 
(2)  That  if  the  chapter  seems  barren,  your  Biblical  know- 
ledge and  spiritual  insight  is  still  imperfect,  and  also  that 
forced  applications  are  a  fruitful  cause  of  errors.  (3)  That 
to  the  reader  of  devout  heart  and  holy  life  God  reveals 
what  is  hidden  from  mere  ability  and  learning  (John  vii.  17, 
Matt.  v.  8). 

XII.  Finally,  will  you  pray  for  all  who  are  following  this 
scheme  that  to  them,  as  well  as  to  you,  the  C.S.C.  may  be 
not  only  an  intellectual  interest,  but  a  means  of  growth  in 
grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ  ? 


FIRST   TERM. 

The   Days  of  the   Patriarchs 
The  Chosen  Family. 

b.c.  4004 — 1490. 

Genesis.    Job.     Exodus.     (132  chapters?) 

"  Moses  took  the  book  of  the  covenant,  and  read  in  the  audience  of  the 
people." — Exod.  xxiv.  7. 

1st  MONTH   (33).  3rd  MONTH   (33). 

Genesis  I.— XXXIII.  Job  XVIL— XLII. 

,  ™™™  Exodus  I.— VII. 

2nd  MONTH   (33). 

Genesis  XXXIV.-L.  4th  MONTH   (33). 

Job  I.— XVI.  Exodus  VIII.— XL. 

I.  General  Summary. 

THE  keynote  of  Gen.  i.  is  God  said.  As  regards  Nature, 
His  will  is  fully  carried  out  (Psalm  xxxiii.  9). 

The  keynote  of  Gen.  iii.  is  Hath  God  said  ?  As  regards 
Man,  His  will  is  thwarted  (Eccles.  vii.  29).  Gen.  iii.  17-19 
is  the  declaration,  not  of  a  threat  or  of  an  arbitrary  punish- 
ment, but  of  an  inevitable  result,  brought  about  by  man 
himself,  and  working  in  accordance  with  God's  great  natural 
laws.  Far  heavier  would  have  been  the  doom  of  living  on 
for  ever,  sinful  and  idle. 

The  rest  of  the  Bible  unfolds  the  Divine  plan  whereby 
God's  purpose  is  notwithstanding  accomplished,  and  man 
redeemed.  Throughout  God  calls,  tests,  and  chooses  for 
special  privilege  not  Cain,  but  Abel ;  not  the  rest  of  man- 
kind, but  Noah's  family  ;  not  Japhet  the  elder,  but  Shem 
the  younger  (Gen.  x.  21,  ix.  26);  not  the  eldest  brother 
Haran's    son,   but    the   younger    brother    Abraham   (Isa. 

19 


20  FIRST  TERM. 

li.  2)  ;  not  Ishmael,  but  Isaac  ;  not  Esau,  but  Jacob  ;  not 
Reuben,  but  Joseph  (1  Chron.  v.  1,  2) ;  not  Manasseh,  but 
Ephraim  (Gen.  xlviii.)  ;  not  Aaron,  but  Moses  (Exod.  iv. 
16) ;  not  Nadab  and  Abihu,  but  Eleazar  (Num.  xx.  28). 

From  the  whole  race  God  chose  one  family,  whose 
training  is  described  in  Genesis.  When  it  had  suffered  so 
severely  that  it  had  become  utterly  helpless,  God  sent  a 
twofold  message  through  Moses  ;  to  Israel,  a  promise,  "  I 
will  deliver  you,"  which  was  received  with  faith  and 
worship  ;  to  Pharaoh,  a  command,  "  Let  My  people  go," 
signified  by  (1)  Word,  (2)  Signs,  (3)  Judgments  ;  and 
received  with  (1)  Scornful  refusal,  (2)  Defiant  imitation, 
(3)  Unwilling  recognition  of  the  Divine  power,  and  notwith- 
standing continued  hardness  of  heart  (Job  xxxiii.  14;  Isa. 
xxvi.  9).  Then  God  brought  that  family  from  Africa  to 
Asia  ;  from  the  garden  of  Egypt  to  the  desert  of  Sinai  ; 
from  slavery  to  freedom  ;  and  not  only  a  great  nation,  but 
"  History  itself  was  born  on  that  night  when  Moses  led 
forth  his  countrymen  from  the  land  of  Goshen  "  {Bunsen). 

This  chosen  nation  (Deut.  vii.  6  ;  Amos  iii.  2  ;  Rom.  ix. 
3,  4)  were  not  the  substitutes  for,  but  the  representatives  of, 
all  mankind.  They  were  not  blessed  merely  for  their  own 
sake,  so  their  national  history,  unlike  any  other  national 
history,  is  of  interest  and  importance  for  all  the  world. 

II.  Books  to  be  Read. 
(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  v.) 

This  term  we  read  one  great  poem,  and  two  of  the 
historical  books  of  Moses,  which  contain  four  archaic  frag- 
ments of  Hebrew  verse  and  two  magnificent  odes — viz., 

{a)  Lamech's  Sword-song  (Gen.  iv.  23,  24). 

(b)  Noah's  Prophecy  concerning  his  sons,  an  epitome  of 
universal  history  (Gen.  ix.  25-7). 

(c)  Jehovah's  Prophecy  concerning  Rebekah's  sons,  an 
epitome  of  Israel's  history  (Gen.  xxv.  23). 

(d)  Isaac's  Prophecy  concerning  his  sons,  an  amplification 
of  {c)  (Gen.  xxvii.  27-9,  39,  40). 

(e)  Jacob's  Benediction,  giving  the  destinies  of  the  Twelve 
Tribes  (Gen.  xlix.). 

(f)  Moses'  Song  of  Victory,  in  three  stanzas,  the  grandest 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  21 

national  hymn  ever  sung  to  the  glory  of  Jehovah  and  to 
liberty,  and  the  first  specimen  of  responsive  choral  music 
(Exod.  xv.  1- 1 8). 

Genesis  is  not  only  the  oldest  complete  book  in  the 
world,  its  earlier  chapters  appear  to  embody  records  far 
more  ancient  than  Moses,  going  back  to  the  very  beginning 
of  human  history  (Luke  i.  70).  About  these  there  is 
nothing  distinctively  Hebrew,  their  simplicity  of  treatment 
and  subject  belongs  to  the  dawn  of  civilisation,  and  they 
have  interesting  features  in  common  with  the  earliest 
Egyptian  and  Chaldean  literature.  It  is  not,  however,  a 
mere  compilation  of  old  annals,  but  a  religious  history, 
whose  unity  and  symmetry  show  that  it  was  penned 
throughout  with  a  definite  design.  Genesis  falls  into  twelve 
natural  divisions  beginning  Gen.  i.  1,  ii.  4,  v.  i,  vi.  9,  x.  1, 
xi.  10,  xi.  27,  xxv.  12,  xxv.  19,  xxxvi.  1,  xxxvi.  9,  and 
xxxvii.  2,  all  save  the  first  headed  by  "  These  are  the  genera- 
tions \z.e.y  "  offspring  "  :  comp.  Matt.  iii.  7,  A.V.  and  R.V.] 

of "     The  first  five  portions  refer  to  General,  and  the 

last  seven  to  Church  History  ;  and  their  relative  lengths  are 
very  significant.  Its  keynote  is  Called  and  chosen  (Matt, 
xxii.  14  ;  1  Peter  iii.  9). 

Job,  undoubtedly  an  historical  character,  probably  lived 
before  Moses,  as  his  patriarchal  length  of  days  indicates ; 
and  after  Abraham,  since  his  friends  refer  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  Sodom.  The  question  whether  the  Book  of  Job  is  a 
veracious  record  of  his  actual  words,  brought  by  Moses 
from  Midian,  or  a  truthful  general  picture  of  his  character 
and  life,  shaped  by  a  poet  of  Solomon's  age  and  made  the 
groundwork  of  a  lesson  for  all  time,  does  not  affect  its 
canonicity.  All  Scripture  is  divinely  inspired  and  true  in 
the  highest  sense.  But  its  loftiest  truths  are  clothed  not  in 
the  barely  literal,  but  in  the  poetical  form  that  contemplates 
everything  in  its  permanent  and  typical  aspect.  Whatever 
view  we  take  of  the  date  and  authorship  of  Job,  we  read  it 
now  to  fill  the  century  that  divides  Gen.  1.  from  Exod.  i. ; 
because  it  illustrates  individual  before  we  pass  to  national 
religion,  the  Patriarchal  before  we  pass  to  the  Mosaic  age, 
God's  dealings  with  a  Gentile  before  we  pass  to  His  deal- 
ings with  Israel.  Its  keynote  is  Fear  the  Almighty  and 
Incomprehensible;     Trust   the    All-Wise    and    A 11- Loving 


22  FIRST  TERM. 

(Rom.  xi.  33,  viii.  28,  v.  3,4).  Natural  instinct,  strengthened 
by  simple  faith  in  God,  connects  happiness  with  goodness. 
Obedience  to  God's  law  must  lead  to  the  blessedness  He 
means  His  creatures  _  to  enjoy.  This  is  our  first  thought, 
exemplified  in  the  speeches  of  Job's  friends  and  in  Psalm  i. 
Experience  of  the  imperfections  and  contradictions  of  life 
shows  that  too  often  the  wicked  prosper  and  the  righteous 
suffer.  How  then  can  God  be  all-wise,  all-powerful,  and 
all-loving?  This  is  our  second  thought,  and  this  is  what 
Satan  tempted  Job  to  think.  Mature  conviction,  growing 
out  of  closer  study  of  God's  law  and  man's  nature,  teaches 
us  that  through  man's  free-will  the  mysterious  power  of 
evil  makes  exceptions  to  God's  law,  which  is  a  general  law 
connecting  goodness  and  happiness.  This  is  our  third 
thought,  and  third  thoughts  are  best  and  truest.  We  may 
go  on  to  say  concerning  these  exceptions  : — 

(1)  God's  ways  are  past  our  comprehension,  but  we  have 
good  cause  to  believe  that  His  wisdom,  power,  and  love  are 
infinite.     This  is  the  answer  to  the  problem  given  in  Job. 

(2)  In  the  next  life  all  wrong  will  be  completely  redressed. 
This  answer  is  suggested  in  Psalm  lxxiii. 

(3)  The  righteous  may  not  be  happy,  but  they  are 
blessed  even  in  the  midst  of  sorrow. 

11  111  that  Thou  blessest  is  our  good, 
And  unblest  good  is  ill ; 
And  all  is  right  that  seems  most  wrong, 
If  it  be  Thy  sweet  will." — Faber. 

This  answer  is  suggested  in  Psalm  xvii.  14,  15.  In  the 
Fourth  Term  we  shall  have  a  striking  example  of  "  unblest 
good,"  and  in  the  Seventh  and  Ninth  Terms  of  "  blest 
ill."  But  these  two  last  answers  could  not  be  fully  worked 
out  until  after  the  anguish  of  the  Cross  and  the  glory  of 
the  Resurrection.  Job  remains  true  as  one  solution,  no 
longer  the  only  solution,  of  the  problem. 

It  falls  into  five  sections  : — 

(a)  i. — ii.  Prose  Prologue  stating  the  Problem  concern- 
ing Affliction.  The  trouble  and  temptation  of  unproved 
Job. 

(b)  iii. — xxxi.  Discussion  of  the  Problem  from  the 
human  point  of  view,  by  Job  who  regards  Affliction  as 
an  unfathomable   mystery  ("  Wherefore  hidest  Thou  Thy 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  23 

face?"  xiii.  24);  and  by  his  three  friends  who,  as  dogged 
defenders  of  the  traditional  popular  belief,  regard  Affliction 
as  a  punishment  for  sin  ("  Who  ever  perished,  being 
innocent  ?  "  iv.  7). 

(V)  xxxii. — xxxvii.  Exposition  of  the  Problem  from 
the  point  of  view  of  one  divinely  enlightened,  by  Elihu 
who  regards  Affliction  as  a  merciful  discipline  for  our 
instruction  ("  God,  who  teacheth  us  more  than  the  beasts," 
xxxv.  11). 

(d)  xxxviii. — xlii.  6.  Solution  of  the  Problem  by 
Jehovah  Himself,  who  shows  that  Affliction  is  a  test  of 
integrity  towards  and  trust  in  Him  ("  Though  He  slay  me 
yet  will  I  wait  for  Him,"  xiii.  15,  is  followed  by  "My 
servant  Job  .  .  .  him  will  I  accept,"  xlii.  8). 

(e)  xlii.  7-17.  Prose  Epilogue.  The  blessing  of  proved 
and  trustful  Job. 

Exodus  continues  Genesis,  begins  the  national  history 
of  Israel,  and  contains  the  first  portion  of  the  Mosaic  Law. 
Its  keynote  is  Redeemed  of  the  Lord  (Luke  i.  68  ;  1  Peter 
i.  18,  19;  Gal.  iv.  4,  5). 

According  to  a  continuous  stream  of  credible  testimony 
from  the  earliest  days  of  Israel's  history,  we  have  attributed 
the  Pentateuch  to  the  fifteenth  century  before  Christ,  and 
no  book  has  had  more  external  evidence  to  its  authorship. 
One  school  of  modern  critics,  however,  professing  to  be 
guided  by  internal  evidence,  declares  that  its  account  of 
the  Creation  is  unscientific,  and  contradicts  facts  ascertained 
by  recent  investigations ;  that  its  records  are  legendary ; 
and  that  instead  of  being  contemporary  history,  it  is  a 
compilation  made  many  centuries  after  Moses.  We  cannot 
enter  into  the  question  at  length,  but  one  or  two  suggestions 
may  be  made  in  passing. 

(1)  It  is  one  thing  to  have  a  reasonable  faith,  another  to 
be  able  to  answer  all  the  hard  questions  concerning  it  that 
could  be  asked. 

(2)  If,  as  regards  isolated  passages,  there  are  difficulties 
in  believing  the  Bible  to  be  a  Divine  and  human  book, 
there  are  still  more  serious  difficulties  in  believing  it 
to  be  a  merely  human  book  as  a  whole,  which  is  the 
alternative. 

(3)  Gen.    i.  was   not    intended   to   satisfy   the    scientific 


24  FIRST  TERM. 

curiosity  of  the  learned  few,  but  to  instruct  the  mass  of 
mankind,  for  whom  it  would  have  been  utterly  unintelligible 
had  it  been  written  in  technical  scientific  terms. 

(4)  When  the  exact  translation  is  ascertained,  and  the 
rash  interpretations  of  prejudiced  opponents  of  the  faith 
and  also  of  half-learned  apologists  for  it  are  swept  away, 
this  oldest  of  all  books  proves  to  be  almost  the  only  non- 
scientific  book  in  the  world  that  does  not  contain  one 
incorrect  statement  about  natural  facts  ;  while  at  the  same 
time  it  accounts  for  things  that  science  confesses  itself 
unable  to  account  for.  See  Liddon's  "  Elements  of 
Religion,"  Lecture  II.  (Longmans,  is.  6d.). 

(5)  Geology  shows  that  the  general  order  of  the  Creation 
must  have  been  that  of  Gen.  i. 

(6)  Ethnology  points  to  the  Euphrates  Valley  as  the 
probable  cradle  of  the  race,  and  traces  its  dispersion  thence 
under  conditions  entirely  compatible  with  those  described 
in  Genesis. 

(7)  Archaeology  proves,  from  records  of  the  past  long 
hidden,  but  now  uncovered  in  many  unexpected  ways  and 
places,  the  minute  accuracy  of  the  Biblical  description  of 
ancient  Egypt. 

(8)  The  Ordnance  Survey  of  the  Sinaitic  Peninsula 
examined,  some  25  years  ago,  the  geography  of  the  Exodus 
and  the  Wanderings,  demonstrating  that  the  story  in  the 
Pentateuch  could  only  have  been  written  by  a  contem- 
porary and  eye  witness. 

(9)  Many  converging  arguments  show  that  it  is  not  only 
possible  but  probable  that  the  Deluge  took  place. 

Before  all  this  positive  evidence  of  an  early  date,  in- 
genious speculations  as  to  a  late  date  based  mainly  on 
linguistic  considerations  that  may  be  entirely  fallacious,  do 
not  look  very  satisfactory.  To  those  who  wish  to  pursue 
these  subjects  further,  I  recommend  Sir  J.  W.  Dawson's 
"  Modern  Science  in  Bible  Lands  "  (Hodder  &  Stoughton, 
6s.),  the  work  of  an  eminent  scientist  who  speaks  with 
authority  ;  and  I  know  of  no  more  profound  or  masterly 
treatment  of  the  relation  of  modern  science  to  revelation 
as  a  whole,  than  u  Can  the  Old  Faith  live  with  the 
New  ?  "  by  Dr.  George  Matheson,  of  Edinburgh  (Black- 
wood, js.  6d.). 


PERIODS  AND  DATES.  25 


III.  Periods  and  Dates. 

The  whole  history  of  the  human  race,  now  nearly  6000 
years  of  age,  may  be  divided  into  three  great  periods  ac- 
cording to  three  successive  phases  of  God's  dealings  with 
man.     Each  is  about  2000  years  long. 

(a)  The  Patriarchal  Dispensation,  or  Probation  of  all  men 
under  the  Law  of  Conscience,  during  which  God  mani- 
fested His  Power.  B.C.  4004  to  1921,  from  Adam  to 
Abraham  (Gal.  iii.  16),  2083  years. 

(b)  The  Jewish  Dispensation,  or  Probation  of  one  Chosen 
People  under  the  Law  of  Moses,  during  which  God  mani- 
fested His  Righteousness.  B.C.  1921  to  A.D.  70,  from 
Abraham  to  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem,   1990  years. 

(c)  The  Christian  Dispensation,  or  "  Times  of  the  Gentiles  " 
(Luke  xxi.  24),  under  the  Law  of  Christ,  during  which 
God  manifests  His  Love.     A.D.  70  onwards. 

Some  would,  however,  bring  {a)  down  to  149 1,  i.e.,  to 
Moses  (see  Rom.  v.  13,  14),  and  would  date  (c)  from  B.C. 
625,  i.e.,  from  the  founding  of  the  Babylonian  Empire,  the 
first  of  the  mighty  Gentile  powers  that  prepared  Christ's 
way.     In  this  case  (b)  overlaps  both  (a)  and  (c). 

The  scanty  records  of  the  2514  years  we  study  this  term 
leave  its  chronology  uncertain.  Here  we  follow  the  com- 
monly received  dates  as  given  in  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  vii. 

430  years  (i.e.,  1921 — 149 1)  is  spoken  of  in  Exod.  xii. 
40,  41,  as  the  whole  period  of  the  sojourning  or  pilgrimage  of 
the  Chosen  Family,  during  which  Abraham  and  his  children 
were  homeless  wanderers.  S.  Paul  reckons  430  years  (Gal. 
iii.  17)  from  the  promise  given  in  Ur  to  the  law  given  at 
Sinai.  Rather  more  than  400  years  elapsed  between  the 
vision  of  Gen.  xv.  (which  foreshadowed  the  whole  history 
of  Israel)  and  the  Exodus  (Gen.  xv.  13  ;  Acts  vii.  6). 

(1)  B.C.  4004 — 2348  (1656  years).     From    the   Creation 

to  the  Deluge.     Probation  of  the  whole  human  race. 
Gen.  i. — viii. 

(2)  B.C.   2348 — 1 92 1  (427  years).     From  the  Deluge  to 

the  Call  of  Abraham.     Probation  of  the  descendants 
of  Noah.    Gen.  ix.— xi. 

(3)  B.C.   1 92 1  —  1 49 1    (430    years).      From   the   Call    of 


26  FIRST  TERM. 

Abraham  to  the  Exodus.     Probation  of  the  Chosen 
Family. 

(a)  1 92 1 — 1706  (215  years).     The  Sojourning  in 

Canaan.     Gen.  xii.— xlv. 
(J?)  1706 — 1491  (215  years).     The  Sojourning  in 
Egypt.    Gen.  xlvi—  1. ;  Job ;  Exod.  i. — xii. 
(4)  B.C.   1491 — 1490  (one  year).     From  the   Exodus  to 
the  erection  of  the  Tabernacle.     Redemption  of  the 
Chosen  People. 

(a)  From  Passover  to  Pentecost,  1491  (seven 
weeks).  The  great  Deliverances.  Exod. 
xiii.— xviii. 
(J?)  From  Pentecost  1491,  to  Passover,  1490  (10 
months  and  10  days).  The  Revelation  at 
Sinai.    Exod.  xix.— xl. 

IV.  Geography. 

(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  Maps  I.,  II.,  III.,  IV.,  and  VIII., 
and  §§  ix.,  xxx.) 

Geology  demonstrates  that  before  the  Deluge  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  what  is  now  the  Persian  Gulf  was  land. 
Immediately  after  the  Deluge,  a  considerable  portion  of 
what  is  now  land  was  swallowed  up  by  the  Persian  Gulf. 
Through  this  once  high  and  well-wooded,  then  submerged, 
and  now  low  and  marshy  country,  flows  a  broad  tide,  fed 
by  four  great  rivers — viz.,  the  Euphrates  ;  the  Hiddekel,  or 
Tigris ;  the  Gihon,  or  Choaspes,  watering  not  the  African, 
but  Nimrod's  Cush  ;  and  the  Pishon  or  Pasitigris  rising  in 
mountains  rich  in  mineral  products,  and  descending  through 
a  fertile  country  where  the  beautiful  Persian  capital  of 
Shushan  (Esth.  i.  2)  afterwards  was  (see  Map  VIII.).  Here 
our  story  begins,  for  here  (as  Sir  J.  W.  Dawson  shows  in 
an  argument  too  long  to  quote)  was  Eden  ;  hither,  as  to 
their  cradle,  Noah's  descendants  made  their  way  south- 
eastwards  (Gen.  xi.  2)  from  the  mountains  where  the  Ark 
grounded  ;  and  hence  therefore,  according  to  Indian, 
Persian,  and  Chaldean  tradition,  mankind  originated.  In 
the  plain  of  Shinar  also  they  built  the  city  whose  name 
runs  all  through  the  Bible  from  Gen.  x.  to  Rev.  xviii. 

Prof.  Sayce  identifies  Mugheir  immediately  to  the  west  of 


GEOGRAPHY.  2? 

Ercch  with  Ur  whence  Abraham  set  forth.  Others,  however, 
identify  Ur  with  Orfah  or  Edessa  in  Mesopotamia,  much 
higher  up  the  river,  which  an  abundant  spring  and  high 
crag  prove  even  now  to  have  been  a  wrell-watered  and 
well-protected  place  for  an  early  settlement.  He  went  on 
to  Haran,  the  headquarters  of  Laban's  family,  whence  the 
two  great  caravan  routes  to  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris 
diverge ;  and  then  to  Damascus,  the  oldest  city  now  exist- 
ing ;  and  through  Palestine  (whose  geography  we  take 
next  term)  to  Egypt,  a  most  fertile,  thoroughly  cultivated, 
and  thickly  populated  country,  which  was  to  the  wandering 
tribes  of  Asia  then  what  Italy  has  since  been  to  Gauls  and 
Goths.  For  it  was  the  home  of  the  earliest  civilisation  in 
the  world,  wrhich  archaeology  traces  back  beyond  B.C.  3000 ; 
of  a  race  skilled  both  in  the  fine  and  the  mechanical  arts, 
loving  nature,  honouring  women,  deeply  impressed  with 
the  seriousness  of  life  on  both  sides  of  the  grave,  and  exer- 
cising an  influence,  whose  whole  power  we  are  only  now 
beginning  to  estimate,  upon  the  two  nations  of  antiquity, 
the  Hebrews  and  the  Greeks,  to  whom  we  ourselves  owe 
most.  The  Valley  of  the  Nile  (which  is  the  true  Egypt) 
is  unlike  any  other  part  of  the  world.  It  has  neither 
Alpine  grandeur  nor  pastoral  softness,  nor  variety  of  plain 
and  upland,  meadow  and  forest.  Its  hills  have  neither 
heather  nor  pine  upon  them,  in  its  rainless  sky  there  is 
neither  cloud  nor  mist.  The  Nile  (worshipped  as  "  The 
Hidden  One,"  because  until  the  middle  of  this  nineteenth 
century  its  source  was  a  mystery)  rises  once  a  year  and  covers 
the  whole  valley  and  plain,  so  that  from  desert  to  desert, 
river  and  country  are  one  (Amos  viii.  8,  R.V.).  Thus  the 
soil  is  renewed  and  fertilised  for  its  three  annual  harvests. 
Egypt  is  the  land  of  light,  of  glowing  sunshine,  and  of 
moonshine  and  starshine  so  brilliant  that  night  is  but  a 
softer  day.  From  the  time  that  Israel's  ancestors  went 
down  thither,  it  has  drawn  men  of  every  clime  with  a  resist- 
less fascination. 

From  Egypt,  the  scene  of  our  story  shifts  to  the  Wilder- 
ness (Hos.  xi.  I  ;  Jer.  ii.  2),  not  an  uninhabited  place,  for  two 
powerful  nations,  the  Kenites  and  the  Amalekites,  were 
there ;  but  a  place  wild  and  desolate,  and  shut  out  from  the 
rest   of  the   world.     As    Israel    advanced,   the    mountains 


28  FIRST  TERM. 

closed  round  them  :  they  found  themselves  in  an  avenue 
of  lofty  rocks  at  the  end  of  which,  rising  immediately  out 
of  the  level  plain,  towered  massive  Sinai,  like  a  huge  altar 
in  a  vast  sanctuary,  whence  ever}/  form  of  life,  animal  and 
vegetable/was  withdrawn.  To  them  the  rugged  and  deso- 
late grandeur  of  the  scene  must  have  suggested  that  they 
had  reached  the  end  of  the  world,  as  they  waited  there  for 
the  revelation  of  their  God. 


i 


V.  Heroes. 

Abraham,  I  John  v.  4. 
Keynotes^  Joseph,  2  Peter  i.  5-7. 
v.  J°b>  James  i-  1 2- 

We  see  in  Abraham  the  great  Bedouin  sheikh,  the  prince 
of  the  desert,  leading  a  vast  caravan  of  servants,  flocks,  and 
herds,  and  wandering  homeless  for  exactly  a  century  in  the 
land  promised  to  his  heirs  ;  the  saint  whose  unflinching 
loyalty  won  him  the  title  of  "  God's  friend,"  and  who,  putting 
God  first  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  became  also  "  the  father 
of  the  faithful  "  :  in  Joseph  the  able  statesman,  vicegerent  of 
the  greatest  monarch  of  his  age,  wielding  almost  absolute 
power  in  a  highly  civilised  foreign  land,  fearing  God,  and 
therefore  fearing  nought  else  :  in  Job  the  patriarch  dwelling 
amidst  his  own  people,  as  father  and  ruler  of  a  pastoral 
tribe,  proved  in  the  fire  of  manifold  temptations,  to  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  comfort  of  God's  suffering  servants 
in  all  ages. 

The  Bible  gives  us  much  valuable  teaching  through  con- 
trasted types  of  character.  Besides  these  almost  perfect 
heroes  we  have  the  mixed  character  of  Jacob,  erring  greatly, 
and  yet  through  the  teaching  of  adversity  proving  that 

"Men  may  rise  on  stepping-stones 
Of  their  dead  selves  to  higher  things." — Tennyson. 

Mark  these  seven  stages  of  his  life:  (1)  Gen.  xxv.  31, 
(2)  xxvii.  35,  (3)  xxviii.  20-22,  (4)  xxxi.  5,(5)  xxxii.  10, 
(6)  xxxii.  28,  (7)  xlix.  18.  Side  by  side  also  with  the 
three  ancestors  of  the  Chosen  People,  who  inherited  the 
blessing,  are  three  others,  and  the  more  nearly  these  are 
related  to  those  in  the  flesh  the  more  widely  are  they 
separated  from  them  in  the  sight  of  God.     From  the  begin- 


THE   COMING  MESSIAH.  29 

ning  the  wheat  and  tares  grew  together,  and  men  often 
found  it  hard  to  discriminate  them  (Matt.  xiii.  30).  Lot, 
Abraham's  nephew,  who  is  called  a  righteous  man,  started 
at  God's  command  for  the  Promised  Land.  Mercy  as  well 
as  judgment  was  predicted  for  his  descendants  in  the  end 
(Jer.  xlviii.  47,  xlix.  6),  and  Ruth,  one  of  them,  was  Christ's 
ancestor.  But,  more  worldly  than  Abraham,  he  com- 
promised his  religion  for  the  sake  of  wealth,  enjoyed 
neither  happiness  nor  influence  in  this  world,  lost  all  he 
had  in  it,  barely  saved  his  own  soul  "  as  through  fire " 
(1  Cor.  iii.  15),  and  was  forefather  of  nations  expressly  shut 
out  from  the  Lord's  congregation  (Deut.  xxiii.  3).  IshmaeL 
Isaac's  half-brother,  whose  personal  character  is  not  de- 
scribed, was  received  into  covenant  with  God  (Gen.  xvii.), 
and  his  descendants  have  never  been  destroyed.  But  he 
and  they  were  outcasts,  and  are  regarded  as  representatives 
of  those  who  have  only  a  form  of  religion  according  to  the 
spirit  of  bondage,  instead  of  its  living  power  according 
to  the  spirit  of  adoption  (Gal.  iv.).  Esau,  Jacob's  twin 
brother,  who  is  called  a  profane  person,  was  born  heir  to 
God's  blessing.  He  despised  his  birthright,  bartered  it 
away,  and  defied  God  by  marrying  heathens.  Thus  he 
turned  the  greatest  blessing  into  the  most  irreparable  loss. 
God  hated  him  (Mai.  i.  3),  and  called  his  descendants  "  the 
people  of  My  curse"  (Isa.  xxxiv.  5).  So  we  first  learn  the 
lesson  that  S.  Paul  finally  sums  up  in  his  Epistle  to 
the  Romans.  There  is  nothing  arbitrary  in  God's  ways : 
the  greater  the  privilege,  the  greater  the  responsibility. 
By  abusing  the  blessings  He  freely  bestows  we  earn  curses 
that  were  never  intended  for  us. 

VI.  The  Coming  Messiah. 
"  Your  father  A  braliam  rejoiced  to  see  My  day? 
John  viii.  56. 
Many  histories  look  back  to  a  golden  age  which  is  past 
and  gone.     Jewish  history  looks  forward  (Heb.  xi.  40  ;  Acts 
xxvi.  6,  7).     And  just  as  we  teach  children  first  from  pic- 
tures, and  afterwards  from  the  printed  page,  so  early  in  the 
Old  Testament  we  find  many  Types  and  few  Predictions, 
and  later  on  many  Predictions  and  few  Types.     All  the  six 


30  FIRST  TERM. 

kinds  of  Types  occur  this  term  ;  but  leaving  ordinances,  acts, 
and  offices  to  be  considered  with  the  Mosaic  Law  generally, 
we  note  as  typical  events,  the  offering  of  Isaac  and  the 
Exodus  ;  as  typical  things,  Jacob's  Ladder  (access  through 
Christ,  Eph.  ii.  18),  the  Pillar  of  Cloud  and  Fire  (presence 
of  Christ,  Matt,  xxviii.  20),  the  Manna  (Christ  the  Bread  of 
Heaven,  John  vi.),  the  Smitten  Rock  (Christ's  gift  of  Living 
Water,  John  iv.) ;  and  as  typical  persons,  Adam,  Enoch, 
Noah,  Melchizedek,  Isaac,  and  Joseph.  The  first  of  these, 
a  type  by  contrast,  is  worked  out  below ;  the  working  out 
of  the  last,  a  type  by  comparison,  forms  one  of  our 
Questions. 

The  First  Adam  (i)  Was  created  in  the  image  of  God. 
(2)  Was  of  the  earth.  (3)  Became  a  living  soul.  (4)  Was 
made  to  have  dominion  over  all.  (5)  Was  appointed  to 
subdue  the  earth.  (6)  Was  overcome  by  desire  of  pleasure 
in  a  garden.  (7)  Yielded  to  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust 
of  the  eyes,  and  the  vainglory  of  life  (Gen.  iii.  6  ;  1  John 
ii.  16).  (8)  Excused  himself  when  justly  accused.  (9)  After 
the  fall  God  pronounced  judgment  on  the  Serpent,  judg- 
ment on  the  W7oman,  judgment  on  the  Man  ;  of  sorrow, 
weariness,  and  death  (Gen.  iii.  14-19).  (10)  By  his  one 
trespass  death  reigned. 

The  Second  Adam  (i)  Is  the  very  image  of  God's  sub- 
stance (Heb.  i.  3).  (2)  Is  of  heaven  (1  Cor.  xv.  47).  (3) 
Became  a  life-giving  spirit  (1  Cor.  xv.  45).  (4)  Is  Lord  of 
all  (Phil.  ii.  11).  (5)  Will  subdue  all  things  (1  Cor.  xv.  25). 
(6)  Overcame  by  endurance  of  pain  in  a  garden  (Matt. 
xxvi.  36-44).  (7)  Conquered  the  lust  of  the  flesh  (Luke 
iv.  3),  the  lust  of  the  eyes  (Luke  iv.  5),  and  the  vainglory 
of  life  (Luke  iv.  9).  (8)  Was  silent  when  unjustly  accused 
(Matt,  xxvii.  12).  (9)  Destroyed  the  serpent  (Rev.  xii. 
9,  10)  ;  was  born  of  woman  (Gal.  iv.  4)  ;  endured  sorrow 
(Isa.  liii.  3, 4  ;  Matt.  viii.  17),  weariness  (John  iv.  6)  and  death 
(Psalm  xxii.  15).  (10)  By  His  one  act  of  righteousness 
grace  reigned  unto  eternal  life  (Rom.  v.). 

Observe  these  parallels  also  : — 

Gen.   i.    Heaven   and   earth  Rev.  xxi.  Heaven  and  earth 

created.  renewed. 

Gen.  ii.  God  with  man  in  a  Rev.  xxi.  God  with  man  in 

garden.  a  city. 


THE   COMING  MESSIAH.  31 

Gen.  ii.  Eat  not  lest  thou  die.  John  vi.  Eat  and  live. 

Gen.  iii.  Tree  of  life  withheld.  Rev.  xxii.  Tree  of  live  given. 

Gen.  viii.  Earth  destroyed  by  2  Peter  iii.  Earth  destroyed 

water.  by  fire. 

Gen.    xi.     Confusion    of  Acts  ii.  Gift  of  Tongues. 

Tongues. 

To  us,  all  these  Types  speak  far  more  plainly  than  they 
did  to  those  who  first  saw  them,  but  to  that  age  were  also 
given  nine  Predictions  of  growing  fulness  and  clearness. 
The  Coming  One  would  be  the  descendant  of  Eve,  of  Seth, 
of  Noah,  of  Shem,  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  of  Jacob,  of  Judah. 
(1)  Gen.  iii.  15.  An  enigmatical  prophecy  that  he  (or  they) 
who  are  born  of  woman  should  suffer  from,  and  yet  in  the 
end  triumph  over,  the  power  of  evil.  (2)  Gen.  ix.  26,  27. 
A  dim  announcement  of  blessing  to  Shem,  and  to 
Japhet  through  him.  (3)  Gen.  xii.  3  ;  (4)  Gen.  xviii.  18  ; 
(5)  Gen.  xxii.  18 ;  (6)  Gen.  xxviii.  14.  Definite  promises  of 
blessing  through  Abraham's  descendants  to  all  nations. 
(7)  Gen.  xlix.  10.  A  promise  which  for  the  first  time  centres 
in  one  Person,  a  ruler  descended  from  Judah.  (8,  9)  Job 
xix.  25-7  ;  Job  xxxiii.  23,  24.  Trustful  aspirations 
rather  than  direct  predictions,  and  made  outside  the 
Chosen  Family,  therefore  on  a  different  footing  from  the 
others,  even  if  we  regard  this  as  their  chronological  place. 

Besides  types  and  predictions,  there  are  in  the  Old 
Testament  three  special  lines  of  preparatory  revelation 
concerning  the  Divine  Nature  of  the  Coming  One,  not  to 
be  associated  with  the  expectation  of  the  Messiah,  until,  in 
the  course  of  many  ages,  as  we  shall  see,  the  conception  of 
the  Messiah  rises  above  that  of  a  merely  human  deliverer. 
The  Divine  Son  is  called  (1)  the  Wisdom  of  God  (1  Cor. 
i.  24),  anticipated  by  Prov.  viii.  (2)  The  Word  of  God  ;  the 
opening  statement  of  Genesis  that  in  the  beginning  God 
created  through  His  Word,  is  repeated  and  filled  with  new 
meaning  as  'the  opening  statement  of  S.  John's  Gospel. 
(3)  The  Messenger  or  Angel  of  God  (Mai.  iii.  1  ;  Job  xxxiii. 
23,  R.V.  ;  John  xx.  21  ;  Heb.  i.  2).  All  through  the  Old 
Testament  we  see  an  Angel  of  God's  Presence  (or  Counten- 
ance), who  is  worshipped  as  God  and  yet  seen  of  men  ;  who 
is  not  only  commissioned  by  Jehovah,  but  represents  Him 
so  directly  and  fully  that  when  He  speaks  or   acts  God 


32  FIRST  TERM. 

Himself  is  felt  to  speak  or  act  Comparison  of  John  i.  18, 
x.  30  ;  2  Cor.  iv.  6  ;  Acts  vii.  38  ;  1  Cor.  x.  4,  9  (R.V. 
margin) ;  Jude  5  (R.V.  margin)  leads  to  the  inevitable 
inference  that  in  this  Angel  there  is  a  mysterious  fore- 
shadowing of  the  Incarnation.  More  than  half  the  allusions 
to  Him  occur  this  term.  See  Gen.  xvi.  7,  13,  xviii.,  xxi. 
17-19,  xxii.  11,  12,  xxxi.  II,  13,  xxxii.  24,  29,  30  (cp.  Hos. 
xii.  4,  5),  xlviii.  15,  16;  Exod.  iii.  2,  6,  14,  iv.  5,  xiv.  19, 
xxiii.  20-23,  xxxii.  34,  xxxiii.  2,  14;  Num.  xxii.  23,  32, 
35  ;  Josh.  v.  15,  with  vi.  2  ;  Judg.  ii.  I,  v.  23,  vi.  1 1,  12,  xiii. 
3,6,  18;  comp.  Rev.  xix.  11-13  ;  1  Kings  xix.  7,  9;  Isa. 
lxiii.  9;  Zech.  i.  11,  iii.  5,  xii.  8.  "  There  was  One  desig- 
nated, not  as  an  epithet  but  as  a  description  of  his  being, 
the  Angel  of  the  Lord,  in  whom  God  accustomed  His  crea- 
tures to  the  thought  of  beholding  Himself  in  human  form. 
Whether  it  was  God  the  Son  who  so  manifested  Himself 
beforehand  (this  was  the  common  belief  of  the  early 
Fathers)  or  not,  yet  there  was  One,  known  as  the  Angel  of 
the  Lord,  distinct  from  and  above  all  the  rest."     (Pusey.) 

VII.  God's  Revelation  of  Himself  to  Man. 

Wrong  ideas  about  God  lie  at  the  root  of  every  form  of 
error  and  superstition  (Psalm  1.  21  ;  Acts  xvii.  29).  Hence 
the  need  of  His  gradual  self-manifestation.  This  came  first, 
through  the  negative  declaration  that  He  is  invisible  and 
incomprehensible  (Deut.  iv.  14-19),  whose  result  was  that 
to  the  heathen  world  Israel  seemed  to  have  a  religion  with- 
out a  God.  But  "  let  those  who  wish  to  understand  the 
hidden  wisdom  of  the  Second  Commandment,  study  the 
history  of  ancient  religions.  No  argument  can  prove  that 
there  is  anything  very  wrong  in  all  these  outward  signs 
and  symbols.  To  many  people  we  know  they  are  even  a 
help  and  comfort.  But  history  is  sometimes  a  stronger 
and  sterner  teacher  than  argument,  and  one  of  the  lessons 
which  the  history  of  religions  certainly  teaches  is  this,  that 
the  curse  pronounced  against  those  who  would  change  the 
invisible  into  the  visible,  the  spiritual  into  the  material,  the 
Divine  into  the  human,  the  infinite  into  the  finite,  has  come 
true  in  every  nation  on  earth."  {Max  Miiller.)  Secondly, 
God  manifested  Himself  through  that  positive  declaration 
of   His  attributes  which  forms  the  Old  Testament  Creed 


GOD'S  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF   TO  MAN.         33 

(Exod.  xxxiv.  5-7).  To  Israel,  unable  to  know  Him  in 
His  absolute  and  unapproachable  majesty,  and  forbidden 
to  make  unworthy  representations,  each  fresh  and  lasting 
revelation  came  in  a  new  Name,  gathering  up  what  was 
shown  of  God's  character,  working,  and  will  from  age  to 
age.  Throughout  the  Old  Testament  we  shall  trace  these 
names,  and  observe  the  different  circumstances  under  which 
different  names  are  used.     Here  we  note  the  four  earliest : — 

(1)  Elohim,  a  title,  meaning  "the  Mighty  One"  and 
translated  "  God,"  is  used  in  those  passages  which  speak 
of  the  God  of  nature,  and  of  the  world  as  under  a  general 
Divine  influence  (e.g.,  in  the  account  of  the  Creation  and 
of  heathen  nations).  It  is  a  plural  word,  understood  and 
used  as  a  singular.  This  had  a  present  reference  to  the 
polytheism  (worship  of  many  gods)  of  the  nations  around, 
showing  that  the  God  of  Israel  united  in  Himself  all  the 
various  powers  and  attributes  of  Deity.  It  had  also  a 
future  reference  to  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the  Trinity, 
foreshadowed  in  Gen.  i.  26,  iii.  22,  xi.  7.  The  singular  of 
Elohim  forms  part  of  many  names  (i.e.,  "  Daniel "),  and  we 
find  it  in  Matt,  xxvii.  46,  and  know  it  well  in  its  Arabic 
form,  "  Allah." 

(2)  El  Shaddai,  meaning  "  God  Almighty,"  the  above 
title  qualified,  was  the  special,  but  not  the  only  name  by 
which  God  was  known  to  the  Patriarchs,  in  whom  He 
sought  to  create  and  to  cherish  the  sense  of  personal 
dependence  on  a  strong  Helper.  It  only  occurs  in  the 
Pentateuch  and  in  Ezek.  x.  5,  but  we  find  Shaddai  (i.e.,  the 
Almighty)  in  Num.  xxiv.  4,  16,  and  often  in  Job. 

(3)  Adonai,  a  title,  meaning  "  lords  "  (plural  of  majesty), 
translated  "  Lord,"  and  probably  the  same  word  as  the 
name  of  the  Egyptian  god  "  Aten  "  ;  is  used  in  Gen.  xv.  2, 
xx.  4,  etc.,  and  occurs  in  many  proper  names. 

(4)  Jehovah,  a  proper  name,  meaning  "  He  Who  Is " 
(Rev.  i.  8 ;  Heb.  xiii.  8),  used  in  those  passages  which  speak 
of  the  God  of  the  covenant,  and  of  the  world  as  under 
a  supernatural  overruling  Power  demanding  our  adora- 
tion (e.g.,  in  the  history  of  the  Chosen  People).  It  is  "  a 
declaration  of  the  simplicity,  unity,  and  self-existence  of  the 
Divine  Nature,  exactly  opposite  to  all  the  multiplied  forms 
of  idolatry,  human,  animal  and  celestial,  that  prevailed,  so 

3 


34  FIRST  TERM. 

far  as  we  know,  everywhere  else  "  (Stanley),  and  "  a  mani- 
festation of  the  Eternal  who  makes  Himself  known  in  time ' 
(Westcott).  In  the  French  Bible  it  is  well  translated  by 
"  L'Eternel."  It  was  occasionally  used  in  Patriarchal  times 
(Gen.  iv.  I,  26),  but  its  frequent  use  dates  from  the  Exodus. 
Kuenen  reckons  that  about  190  Old  Testament  personal 
names  are  compounded  with  it,  including  those  of  fourteen 
out  of  the  nineteen  kings  of  Judah.  The  contexts  in 
which  it  and  Elohim  respectively  occur  should  always  be 
noted  (e.g.,  Psalm  xix.  1,  14).  In  later  times  a  feeling  of 
reverence  (founded  on  Lev.  xxiv.  16),  which  became  a 
superstition,  led  the  Jews  to  replace  Jehovah  by  Adonai. 
Hence  our  English  Bible  translates  it  LORD  and  some- 
times GOD  (R.V.  Preface,  p.  2).  In  Psalm  lxviii.  4, 
lxxxix.  8  (R.V.);  Isa.  xxxviii.  11  (R.V.),  etc.,  we  have 
a  shortened  form,  which  also  occurs  in  Hallelu^/^.  The 
name  Ehyeh  (Exod.  iii.  14,  15,  R.V.  margin)  is  from  the 
same  root,  and  has  the  same  meaning. 

Summing  up,  we  may  say,  outside  Israel  God  is  anony- 
mous, to  Israel  He  is  Jehovah,  to  the  Church  He  is  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  (Saphir). 

VIII.  Man's  Relation  to  God  in  Worship. 

Ever  since  Adam  left  Eden  men  have  tried  to  approach 
God  through  Sacrifice.     This  may  be  of  two  kinds  : — 

(a)  A  thank-offering  for  God's  favour  in  the  past,  or  a  gift 
to  secure  His  favour  for  the  future,  generally  in  the  form  of 
fruits  of  the  earth.  Such  was  the  sacrifice  of  Cain,  who 
worshipped  Elohim  the  Creator,  as  the  type  of  the  Deist, 
and  whose  form  of  religion  finally  degenerated  into  mere 
nature  worship.  It  was,  however,  not  only  the  incomplete 
character  of  his  offering,  but  the  spirit  in  which  it  was 
offered  that  caused  its  rejection  (Prov.  xv.  8). 

(b)  An  expiation  for  sin,  generally  in  the  form  of  an 
unblemished  creature  whose  blood  is  shed  (Heb.  ix.  22). 
Such  was  the  sacrifice  of  Abel,  who  worshipped  Jehovah, 
and  looked  for  the  coming  Redeemer,  as  the  type  of  the 
Christian,  and  whose  form  of  religion  finally  degenerated 
into  worship  of  subordinate  redeemers  and  intercessors. 
All  the  various  religions  of  the  world  go  back  to  those  two 
primaeval  altars  ;  and  since  animal  food  is  first  permitted  in 


MAN'S  RELATION  TO   GOD  IN  WORSHIP.  35 

Gen.  ix.  3,  Gen.  iii.  21  may  indicate  that  sacrifices,  such  as 
Abel's,  were  divinely  instituted.  Elsewhere  also  in  Genesis 
we  find  the  germ  of  those  Mosaic  institutions  which  we  shall 
consider  next  term. 

The  offering  of  Isaac  is  sometimes  misunderstood,  and 
criticised  as  if  it  were  an  example  of  human  sacrifice  for  sin. 
So  far  from  sanctioning,  it  condemns  such  sacrifice.  For 
(a)  Abraham  had  committed  no  particular  sin,  and  appre- 
hended no  special  danger.  (b)  It  was  not  a  sacrifice 
to  atone  for  sin,  or  to  propitiate  God,  but  a  burnt  offer- 
ing, the  meaning  of  which  throughout  the  Bible  is  dedica- 
tion of  oneself  to  God,  and  perfect  obedience  to  His  will. 
It  was  not  made  in  the  spirit  of  Mic.  vi.  6,  but  of  Acts 
xxi.  13.  (c)  Isaac  is  a  type  of  humanity  devoted  to  death, 
but  not  actually  slain.  The  ram,  divinely  provided  and 
slain  in  his  stead,  is  a  type  of  the  Lamb  of  God. 

Prayer  is  first  mentioned  in  Gen.  iv.  26  ;  we  have  the 
first  specimen  of  prayer  for  others  in  Gen.  xvii.  18,  xviii.  ; 
and  of  prayer  for  oneself  in  Gen.  xxxii.  (omitting  Lot's 
hasty  request  in  Gen.  xix.  18,  19).  No  grander  examples 
could  be  given  of  its  true  nature,  and  of  its  power  with 
God.     (See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  xii.) 

Passages  illustrating  Genesis. — i  Chron.  i.  i — ii.  6 ; 
Psalm  cv.  1-23  ;  Josh.  xxiv.  2-4;  Neh.  ix.  7,  8;  Hos.  xii. 
2-5,  12  ;  Acts  vii.  2-16 ;  Heb.  xi.  3-22. 

Passages  illustrating  Exodus.— i  Chron.  ii.  18— 
viii.  ;  Psalm  cv.  24-45  5  Josh.  xxiv.  5-7 ;  Neh.  ix.  9-20  ; 
Hos.  xii.  13;  Acts  vii.  17-44;  Heb.  xi.  23-9;  1  Cor.  x. 
i-ii  ;  Psalm  lxxvii.  14-20,  lxxviii.  1-54,  lxxxi.,  cxiv.,  cvi. 
7-13,  19-23,  cxxxv.  8,  9,  cxxxvi.  10-16  ;  Judg.  v.  4,  5  ; 
Hab.  iii.  3-13;  lsa.  lxiii.  11-14. 

Here  we  pause,  but  if  we  have  entered  into  our  First 
Term's  reading  we  cannot  stop  here.  We  are  but  half 
through  the  career  of  a  man  who  has  had  a  greater  influence 
upon  the  world  than  any  other  man  we  could  name,  except 
S.  Paul.  We  reserve  the  full  consideration  of  his  character 
and  work  till  we  finish  the  story  of  his  life  next  term.  The 
Chosen  People  are  wandering  in  the  Wilderness.  What 
will  their  destiny  as  a  nation  be  after  this  long  training  ? 
The  Tabernacle  has  ucen  set  up.  What  is  the  nature  and 
meaning  of  the  worship  for  which  it  is  established  ? 


36  FIRST  TERM. 

IX.  Questions, 

(See  pp.  13,  18.) 

[Questions  I.,  VII.,  XI.,  XIV.,  XXIII. ,  XXIV.,  and  XXVIII.  may  be 

answered  with  help  of  any  books.     The  other  28  questions  should  be  answered 
with  the  help  of  a  reference  Bible  and  the  R.V.  only.] 

I.  Explain  fully  the  meanings  of  these  words  as  shown 
by  their  derivations  : — Bible,  Scriptures,  Canon,  Testament, 
Pentateuch,  Genesis,  Exodus.     (14.) 

II.  Classify  the  books  of  the  Bible  in  four  groups,  as 
{a)  History,  (b)  Biography,  (c)  Letters,  (d)  Poetry.     (4.) 

III.  Give  three  references  to  prove  each  of  these  state- 
ments : — (a)  God  spoke  through  Old  Testament  writers, 
(J?)  God  spoke  through  New  Testament  writers  ;  (c)  Christ 
insisted  upon  the  importance  and  authority  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, (d)  The  first  Christians  studied  it  diligently.     (12.) 

IV.  Specify  the  three  acts  of  creation  recorded  in  Gen.  i. 
What  further  act  of  creation  is  mentioned  by  S.  Paul  ?     (4.) 

V.  Show  by  Old  Testament  and  New  Testament  refer- 
ences that  the  world  and  all  in  it  was  created  by  God  the 
Father,  God  the  Son,  and  God  the  Holy  Ghost.     (6.) 

VI.  On  what  were  the  first  three  curses  pronounced?  (3.) 

VII.  What  brought  about  the  Deluge?  State  its  extent 
and  duration.  What  were  the  dimensions  of  the  Ark  ? 
What  did  it  contain  ?  Name  three  new  precepts  and  two 
promises  given  after  the  Deluge.     (20.) 

VIII.  Illustrate  Heb.  xi.  9  by  a  brief  summary  of 
Abraham's  wanderings  in  Canaan,  noting  his  four  chief 
halting-places.     (12.) 

IX.  Discuss  the  character  of  Abraham,  with  special 
reference  to  New  Testament  allusions  to  him,  and  justify 
from  Scripture  his  two  titles,  (a)  Friend  of  God,  (J?)  Father 
of  the  Faithful.     (14.) 

X.  Prove  that  Abraham's  immediate  ancestors,  and  also 
that  his  descendants  in  Egypt,  worshipped  false  gods.     (3.) 

XI.  Name  four  important  descendants  of  Esau  in  the  New 
Testament,  in  whom  his  striking  but  cruel,  worldly,  and 
unstable  character  was  reproduced.  How  was  the  prophecy 
that  he  should  first  serve,  and  then  have  dominion  over  his 
brother,  fulfilled  in  his  descendants  ?     (6.) 


QUESTIONS.  37 

XII.  Consider  Joseph  as  a  type  of  Christ  in  character 
and  circumstances.     (14.) 

XIII.  Name  the  first  two  possessions  of  Abraham's  family 
in  Canaan.     To  whom  did  they  ultimately  belong  ?     (6.) 

XIV.  Reconcile  Gen.  xlvi.  27  and  Acts  vii.  14.     (6.) 

XV.  Mention  two  incidents  in  the  life  of  Ephraim.     (4.) 

XVI.  How  old  was  Noah's  father  when  Adam  died? 
How  old  was  Abraham's  father  when  Noah  died?  How 
old  were  Jacob  and  Esau  when  Abraham  died  ?  How  old 
was  Joseph  when  Isaac  died?     (12.) 

XVII.  On  how  many  occasions  are  we  told  of  God 
speaking  to  man  in  Genesis  ?    To  whom  did  He  speak  ?  (15.) 

XVIII.  What  allusions  to  Job  are  there  in  Scripture 
outside  the  Book  of  Job  ?  Find  a  New  Testament  quota- 
tion from  Job.     (3.) 

XIX.  Summarise  the  four  parts  of  Elihu's  discourse.    (14.) 

XX.  Quote  two  passages  proving  that  Amram  was  a 
pious  man.     (N.B.  He  is  not  actually  named  in  either.)   (2.) 

XXI.  Give  the  seven  reasons  Moses  gave  for  not  going 
before  Pharaoh,  and  God's  answers  to  them.  How  many 
interviews  had  Moses  with  Pharaoh?     (14.) 

XXII.  What  were  the  four  compromises  Pharaoh  tried 
to  make  ?  Give  the  names  of  the  magicians  who  withstood 
Moses.     (6.) 

XXIII.  Make  a  list  of  the  ten  plagues  of  Egypt,  showing 
the  object  or  victims,  duration,  significance,  and  immediate 
result  of  each.     (20.) 

XXIV.  Explain  the  following  passages  : — Gen.  vi.  2,  6 ; 
Job  iv.  18,  xix.  25,  xxvi.  5,  6,  xxxi.  26,  xxxvii.  16,  xxxviii. 
31  ;  Exod.  iii.  22,  ix.  12.     (30.) 

XXV.  Where,  when,  by  whom,  and  with  what  result  was 
the  battle  of  Rephidim  fought  ?     (4.) 

XXVI.  Have  we  Biblical  warrant  for  speaking  of  the  ten 
Commandments  ?  Show  from  Genesis  that  each  of  the  ten 
was  recognised  before  they  were  given  on  Sinai.     (22.) 

XXVII.  Give  the  passages  in  which  the  first  mention  is 
made  of  the  following :— (1)  A  Prophet,  (2)  a  Priest,  (3)  a 
King,  (4)  a  Covenant,  (5)  Believing  in  God,  (6)  a  "  Righ- 
teous Man,"  (7)  Musical  Instruments,  (8)  a  Tombstone, 
(9)  Money,  (10)  a  City,  (11)  Egypt,  (12)  more  wives  than  one, 
(13)  written  History,  (14)  the  written  Word  of  God.     (14.) 


38  FIRST  TERM. 

XXVIII.  What  are  the  meanings  of  the  following  names  ? 
— Adam,  Eve,  Cain,  Abel,  Seth,  Noah,  Abraham,  Sarah, 
Ishmael,  Isaac,  Edom,  Jacob,  Israel,  Judah,  Joseph,  Ephraim, 
Manasseh,  Moses,  Abimelech,  Pharaoh.     (20.) 

XXIX.  How  many  New  Testament  allusions  can  you 
find  to  Adam,  Eve,  Cain,  Abel,  Enoch,  Noah,  Lot,  Sarah, 
Hagar,  Esau  ?     (20.) 

XXX.  What  do  you  know  of  the  following  ? — Asenath, 
Bashemath,  Deborah  (of  Haran),  Eliezer  of  Damascus,  Hur, 
Iscah,  Jochebed,  Kezia,  Oholiab,  and  Shiphrah.     (20.) 

XXXI.  Make  a  list  of  all  the  names  of  God  that  you 
can  find  in  Genesis,  Job,  and  Exodus.     (30.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following  passages 
occurring  in  this  term's  reading  : — {a)  "  Where  art  thou  ?  " 
(b)  "  Be  thou  a  blessing."  (c)  "  Submit  thyself."  (d)  "  I 
withheld  thee  from  sinning."  (e)  "  I  have  filled  him  with 
the  Spirit  of  God."  (f)  "  Remember  this  day."  {g)  "  Stand 
still."  (k)  "  Go  forward."  (*)  "  I  fear  God."  (J)  "  I  am  not 
worthy."  (k)  "  I  abhor  myself."  (/)  "  Teach  Thou  me." 
(m)  "  Let  us  make  us  a  name."  {11)  "  We  desire  not  the 
knowledge  of  Thy  ways."  id)  "Come,  let  us  slay  him." 
(/)  "  For  we  are  brethren."  (q)  "  Who  is  on  the  Lord's 
side  ?  "  (r)  "  Am  I  in  the  place  of  God  ?  "  (s)  "  If  a  man 
die,  shall  he  live  again  ?  "  (t)  "  There  is  a  spirit  in  man." 
{u)  "God  took  him."  (v)  "God  heard,  .  .  .  remembered, 
.  .  .  saw,  .  .  .  took  knowledge  of  them."  (w)  "  The  Lord 
is  in  this  place."  (x)  "That  rebel  against  the  light." 
(j)  "  I  have  bought  you  this  day."  (z)  "  He  that  voucheth 
for  me  is  on  high."     (26.) 

For  Second  Series  of  Questions,  see  p.  309. 


SECOND   TERM. 

The  Days  of  Moses. 

The   Chosen   Nation. 

The  Tabernacle  and  the  Theocracy. 

b.c.  1490 — 1256. 

Leviticus.    Numbers.     Deuteronomy.     Psalm  XC.    Joshua. 
Judges  L—  V.  and  XVII. —XXI.    Ruth.     ( 1 36  chapters) 

"These  words  .  .  .  shall  be  upon  thine  heart,  and  thou  shalt  teach 
them,  .  .  .  talk  of  them,  .  .  .  bind  them  upon  thine  hand  .  .  ._  and  between 
thine  eyes,  .  .  .  and  write  them  upon  the  door  posts." — Deut.  vi.  6-9. 


5th  MONTH   (34). 

Leviticus  I.— XXVII. 
Numbers  I.— VII. 

6th  MONTH   (34). 

Numbers  VIII.— XXXVI. 
Deut.  I.— V. 


7th  MONTH   (34). 

Deut.    VI.— XXXIV. 
Psalm  XC.    Joshua  I.— IV. 

8th  MONTH    (34). 

Joshua V.— XXIV.    Judges  I.— V. 


and  XVII.— XXI.     Ruth. 

I.  General  Summary. 

GOD  has  redeemed  the  people  whom  He  chose  to  be  His 
own  purchased  possession.  They  did  not  deliver  them- 
selves by  such  a  battle  as  Marathon,  or  Morgarten,  or  Ban- 
nockburn  ;  He  did  for  them  what  they  could  not  do  for 
themselves.  In  the  Red  Sea  they  have  been  baptised  into 
Moses  for  a  new  life  (1  Cor.  x.  2).  They  have  been  claimed 
by  God  as  His  sons  (Exod.  iv.  22  ;  Deut.  xiv.  1  ;  Hos.  xi.  1). 
They  have  been  made  heirs  of  the  Promised  Land  (Exod. 
vi.  8).  Will  they  live  the  new  life  as  obedient  children, 
and  enter  into  their  inheritance  ?  This  is  the  question  our 
second  term's  reading  will  answer  sadly  enough  by  showing 
that  only  two  of  the  grown  men  who  crossed  the  Red  Sea 
also  crossed  Jordan  (Num.  xxvi.  64,  65).  A  like  question 
confronts  us,  baptised  into  Christ  as  "  children  of  God  and 

39 


40  SECOND   TERM. 

inheritors  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  and  redeemed  not  by 
the  blood  of  the  many  lambs  of  the  Passover,  but  by  the 
precious  blood  of  the  one  adorable  and  immaculate  Lamb 
of  God  (Eph.  i.  4-7).  The  solemn  lesson  drawn  for  us  from 
Israel's  unbelief  in  Heb.  iii.  is  brought  before  us  whenever 
we  join  in  singing  Psalm  xcv.  at  the  public  worship  wherein 
we  claim  our  Christian  privileges. 

In  Israel's  Exodus,  which  revived  worship  of  the  True 
God  and  hope  of  the  Messiah,  when  both  were  perishing, 
we  see  the  roots  of  all  that  is  most  valuable  in  religion  to- 
day. Recently  discovered  Egyptian  records  show  us  how 
the  way  was  divinely  prepared  for  this  important  event  by 
the  victorious  campaigns  in  Western  Asia  of  Rameses  II., 
whose  harsh  but  able  features  were  seen  by  our  contem- 
poraries when  his  mummy  was  unrolled  a  year  or  two  ago. 
His  wars  weakened  the  Canaanites,  but  also  overstrained 
the  resources  of  Egypt,  and  led,  in  the  reigns  of  his  weak 
successors,  to  counter-invasions,  which  depleted  the  garri- 
sons that  held  Israel  in  subjection.  It  is  possible  that  the 
Pharaoh  of  Exod.  i.  was  Seti,  son  of  Rameses  I.  That  the 
Pharaoh  of  Exod.  ii.  23  was  Rameses  II.,  son  of  Seti  ;  and 
that  the  Pharaoh  of  Exod.  v.-xiv.  was  Menephtah  II.,  son 
of  Rameses  II.,  are  widely  received  conclusions  of  modern 
archaeology.  See  Dr.  Kinns'  "  Graven  in  the  Rock  "  (Cassell, 
12s.  6d.),  Prof.  Poole's  "  Cities  of  Egypt"  (Smith,  Elder,  55.). 

Some  profess  to  account  for  the  most  characteristic 
Hebrew  institutions  by  the  sojourn  in  Egypt,  but  M.  Le 
Page  Renouf  entirely  gainsays  this  theory.  The  following 
results  of  their  bondage  may,  however,  be  certainly  traced : 
— (a)  An  ever-recurring  tendency  to  idolatry.  (J?)  A  pre- 
ference for  non-monarchical  institutions  which  lasted  400 
years,  (c)  A  liability  to  leprosy,  consequence  of  long  ex- 
posure and  hardship.  Moreover,  in  fertile  and  'cultivated 
Egypt  they  acquired  the  arts  of  civilisation  and  industry, 
and  affliction  welded  them  together  into  one  nation.  During 
more  than  half  their  sojourn  there,  however,  they  seem  to 
have  been  wealthy  and  prosperous  (Exod.  i.  9). 

The  number  who  left  Egypt  must  have  amounted  to 
between  two  and  three  millions  in  all,  and  if  we  would 
understand  how  a  horde  of  unruly  and  craven  bondmen 
were  transformed  into  dauntless  warriors  who  proved  the 


GENERAL  SUMMARY.  41 

most  faithful  generation  in  Israel's  history,  we  must  gain 
a  clear  idea  of  the  exact  sequence  of  events  in  the  wilder- 
ness. Each  incident  there  has  its  own  particular  place  and 
its  special  relation  to  the  whole,  and  no  part  of  that  whole 
was  more  fruitful  than  the  37 \  years  whose  story  occupies 
only  five  chapters.  Then  it  was  that  the  slave-generation 
died  out  (Psalm  xc.  5-8)  and  the  conqueror-generation  grew 
up.  The  conquest  began  when  they  crossed  the  brook 
Zered  (Deut.  ii.  13),  and  ended  when  they  occupied  Galilee 
(which  was  to  the  Canaanites  what  Wales  and  Cornwall 
were  to  the  Britons),  or,  in  a  larger  sense,  when  David  took 
Jerusalem. 

God's  command  to  exterminate  the  heathen,  which  first 
appears  in  Num.  xxxi.,  has  been  misunderstood  and  there- 
fore questioned.  By  their  heinous  sins,  these  heathen 
had  forfeited  the  lives  God  gave  them  (Deut.  ix.  5).  The 
agents  of  His  judgments  were  therefore  no  more  murderers 
than  are  the  executioners  who  carry  out  a  legal  sentence. 
Moreover,  distance  in  time  from  heathen  Europe,  and  in 
space  from  heathen  Asia  and  Africa,  causes  us  to  have  but 
a  vague  notion  of  what  heathenism  really  is.  The  testimony 
of  those  who  have  studied  it  closely  either  in  past  or  present 
forms  proves  that  it  not  only  permits  and  sanctions,  but 
enjoins  iniquities  and  abominations  which  Christian  influ- 
ence has  made  utterly  hateful  in  Christian  lands,  even  for 
those  who  do  not  confess  the  name  of  Christ.  This 
heathenism  came  to  a  climax  in  the  Canaanites  and  their 
neighbours,  and  in  those  pre-Christian  days  evil  was  so 
strong  that  toleration  of  those  who  habitually  practised  it 
would  have  been  dangerous  and  even  fatal.  We,  under 
different  conditions,  are  commanded  to  hate  sin,  and  love 
the  sinner ;  Israel's  only  safety  lay  in  hating  the  sinner  as 
well  as  his  sin.  S.  Chrysostom  finds  a  key  to  this  command 
in  Psalm  cxxxix.  21,  22,  and  it  is  further  explained  by  our 
Lord's  words  in  Matt.  v.  38,  39,  43-5  ;  Luke  ix.  54-6. 
The  political  wisdom  of  a  command  which  made  Israel 
the  instrument  of  deserved  and  inevitable  punishment  to 
these  notorious  idolaters  was  proved  again  and  again  by 
the  long  train  of  evils  which  followed  upon  their  incomplete 
obedience  to  it.  The  Israelites  fought  not  only  for  them- 
selves, but   for   us.     Just  as   the   intellectual   progress   of 


42  SECOND   TERM. 

mankind  depended  upon  the  victory  of  Greece  at  Marathon, 
so  the  future  of  morality  and  religion  for  the  whole  race 
depended  upon  the  victory  of  Israel  at  Bethhoron. 

We  are  apt  to  estimate  the  days  after  Joshua  by  those 
closing  episodes  of  Judges,  which  account  for  the  omission 
of  Dan  in  I  Chron.  iv.-vii.  and  Rev.  vii.,  and  for  the  phrase 
"  little  Benjamin "  in  Psalm  lxviii.  27.  Three-quarters  of 
the  whole  period  seem,  however,  to  have  passed  in  a  peace 
and  prosperity  which  has  little  history,  but  which  finds 
beautiful  illustration  in  the  story  of  Ruth. 

II.  Books  to  be  Read. 
(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  v.) 

This  term  we  read  the  three  remaining  books  of  Moses 
and  his  one  Psalm,  the  history  of  his  successor  Joshua,  half 
the  story  of  the  Judges,  and  the  biography  of  Ruth. 
Glancing  at  their  surface,  this  appears  the  least  attractive 
of  all  the  nine  portions  into  which  we  divide  the  Bible.  The 
first  three  books  seem  to  be  full  of  obsolete  laws  and  cere- 
monies ;  Joshua  seems  full  of  barbarous  exterminations  and 
lifeless  geography ;  Judges  of  petty  strifes  stirred  up  by 
evil  passions.  When,  however,  instead  of  carelessly  reading, 
we  search  these  Scriptures  diligently,  we  find  them  rich  in 
historical  interest  and  spiritual  instruction.  And  even  the 
details  that  we  are  tempted  to  regard  as  wearisome  and 
barren,  teach  us  that  we  must  stoop  to  individual  names 
and  minute  particulars,  if  we  would  appreciate  God's  con- 
descension and  the  reality  of  His  special  oversight  of  the 
children  of  men  (Luke  xii.  6,  7). 

Moreover,  they  contain  five  short  poems  or  fragments 
and  four  sustained  songs  all  singularly  attractive — viz., 

(a)  The  Aaronic  Benediction  of  the  people  given  at  the 
close  of  the  daily  sacrifice  (Num.  vi.  24-6). 

(b)  Fragment  from  the  Book  of  the  Wars  of  the  Lord 
concerning  the  crossing  of  Arnon,  the  first  river  they  had 
come  to  since  they  left  the  Nile  (Num.  xxi.  14,  15). 

(c)  The  jubilant  Song  of  the  Well,  perhaps  a  common 
water-drawing  chant  in  after-times  (Num.  xxi.  17,  18). 

(d)  A  shout  of  triumph  over  the  Amorites  after  their 
second  victory  (Num.  xxi.  27-30). 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  43 

(e)  Stanza  from  the  Book  of  Jashar  of  a  Battle  Ode  com- 
memorating their  greatest  victory  (Josh.  x.  12-15). 

(/)  The  sevenfold  Prophecy  of  Balaam  touching  Israel's 
destiny  and  finally  glancing  at  the  Gentile  world  beyond 
(Num.  xxiii.,  xxiv.). 

(g)  The  magnificent  Song  of  Witness  for  God  by  Moses 
(Deut.  xxxii.). 

(Ji)  The  Benediction  of  the  Twelve  Tribes  by  Moses 
(Deut.  xxxiii.). 

(1)  Deborah's  ecstatic  Paean  over  Sisera,  the  only  pro- 
phetic utterance  between  Moses  and  Samuel  (Judg.  v.). 

This  term  also  we  make  our  first  acquaintance  with  the 
Book  of  Psalms  (see  p.  1 70). 

Leviticus,  the  shortest  book  of  Moses,  consists  of  God's 
own  words  to  His  people,  excepting  only  chaps,  viii.-x., 
xxiv.  10-16,  23.  Its  structure  is  as  symmetrical  as  that  of 
Genesis.  In  it  God  makes  provision  for  man  to  draw  near 
Him  in  worship.  Its  keynote  is  Separated  unto  the  Lord 
(John  xvii.  15  ;   1  Peter  i.  15,  16,  ii.  24). 

Numbers  describes  that  journey  through  the  wilderness 
which  has  ever  since  been  regarded  as  a  parable  of  human 
life  in  its  spiritual  aspect  of  a  pilgrimage.  Its  keynote  is 
Sinners  against  their  own  lives  (Prov.  viii.  36  ;  Jer.  xxvi. 
19,  R.V. ;  Luke  xiii.  34  ;  John  v.  40,  44). 

Deuteronomy  is  to  the  other  books  of  the  Pentateuch 
what  S.  John  is  to  the  other  Gospels,  not  merely  repeating, 
but  enlarging  upon  their  theme,  and  showing  its  full  signifi- 
cance. Its  keynote  is  Choose  (Matt.  vi.  24  ;  1  John  ii.  15  ; 
Heb.  x.  38,  39) ;  and  it  falls  into  seven  portions : 

(1)  First  address  by  Moses  in  the  Arabah,  i. — iv.  40  ; 
(2)  Second  address  by  Moses  in  the  valley  opposite  Beth- 
peor,  iv.  41 — xxvi. ;  (3)  Third  address  by  Moses  and  the 
Elders  at  Ebal  and  Gerizim,  xxvii. — xxx. ;  (4)  The  Charge, 
xxxi. ;  (5)  The  Song,  xxxii. ;  (6)  The  Benediction,  xxxiii. ; 
(7)  Appendix,  probably  by  Joshua,  xxxiv. 

Joshua  (which  may  be  written  by  him  whose  name  it 
bears,  or  by  one  of  the  elders  who  out-lived  him,  Josh.  xxiv. 
31)  is  the  Book  of  the  Wars  of  Israel,  and  the  Doomsday 
Book  of  Israel  also,  and  shows  how  their  heritage  was 
won  and  divided.  Of  course  it  must  be  illustrated  by  the 
map.    Setting  aside  the  somewhat  doubtful  sentiment  which 


44  SECOND   TERM. 

interprets  Jordan  as  death  and  Canaan  as  heaven,  we  have 
here  a  parable  of  human  life  in  its  spiritual  aspect  of  a 
warfare.  Its  keynote  is  Be  strong  and  of  a  good  courage 
(Heb.  xiii.  5,  6 ;   1  Peter  iii.  13,  14  ;  Eph.  vi.  13). 

Judges  is  a  mournful  history  of  Israel's  decline  into 
anarchy  and  apostasy,  when  indolently  enjoying  their 
fertile  land,  they  tolerated  their  foes,  and  strove  with  their 
brethren,  and  a  national  war  degenerated  into  struggles 
of  separate  tribes  against  their  immediate  enemies.  Its 
keynote  is  Called  out  from  the  world,  yet  of  the  world 
(James  iv.  4  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  33  ;  2  Peter  ii.  20,  21). 

Ruth,  a  prose  idyll,  is  the  first  chapter  in  the  history 
of  the  family  of  which  Christ  was  a  member.  Its  keynote 
is  In  the  world,  yet  not  of  the  world  (Rom.  ii.  10,  11  ; 
Matt.  xix.  29).  No  other  ancient  history  contains  such 
vivid  pictures  of  the  life  of  the  past  as  Judges  and  Ruth, 
and  the  mixed  characters  of  this  transition  period  have 
been  well  likened  to  those  who  made  the  history  of  the 
Middle  Ages. 


III.   Periods  and  Dates. 

(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  ix.) 

We  are  still  unable  to  fix  exact  dates,  but  may  roughly 
map  out  these  234  years  as  follows  : — (3)  is  fixed  at  25 
years  in  accordance  with  the  statement  of  Josephus  that 
Joshua,  who  died  aged  no,  was  35  years  younger  than 
Moses.  Of  this  we  cannot  be  quite  sure,  but  it  must  be 
correct  within  a  year  or  two.  Josh.  xiv.  7,  10  shows  that 
Joshua's  subjugation  of  the  land  occupied  seven  years. 

(1)  B.C.   1490 — 1452  (38  years).      From  the  erection  of 

the  Tabernacle   to   the   second   arrival  at   Kadesh. 

Probation  of  the  Chosen  People  in  the  Wilderness. 

(a)  From  Passover  to  Pentecost,  1490  (7  weeks). 

The  close  of  the  year  of  organisation  at  Sinai. 

Lev.;  Num.  i.— x.  10. 

(J?)  From  Pentecost  to  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  1490 

(4  months  and   10  days).     March  from  Sinai 

to    Kadesh,    and    unsuccessful    attempt    to 


PERIODS  AND  DATES.  45 

enter  the  Promised  Land  from  the  South. 
Num.  x.  11— xiv. 
(c)  From  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  1490,  to 
Passover,  1452  (37 J  years).  The  Wander 
ings,  probably  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Seir. 
Num.  xv.— xix. 

(2)  B.C.   1452 — 145 1  (1  year).     From  the  second  arrival 

at  Kadesh  to  the  death  of  Moses.     Conquest  of  the 

Land  of  Gilead,  east  of '  for  dan. 

{a)  From  Passover  to  end  of  Tebeth,  1452 
(10  months).  March  from  Kadesh  to  the 
Plains  of  Moab.  Successful  attempt  to 
enter  the  Promised  Land  from  the  East. 
Num.  xx.— xxxvi. 
(J?)  From  Tebeth,  1452,  to  Passover,  145 1  (2 
months).  Encampment  in  the  Plains  of  Moab. 
Farewell  address  of  Moses.    Deut. ;  Psalm  xc. 

(3)  B.C.    145 1 — 1426   (25    years).      From   the   death   of 

Moses  to  the  death  of  Joshua.     Conquest  of  the  Land 
of  Canaan,  west  of fordan. 

{a)   Occupation    of    the   Valley   of   the    Jordan. 
Josh.  i. — viii. 

(b)  Occupation  of  Judaea  and  Samaria. 

Josh,  ix.,  x. 

(c)  Occupation  of  Galilee.    Josh,  xi.,  xii. 

(d)  Settlement  in  the  Promised  Land. 

Josh.  xiii. — xxiv. 

(4)  B.C.    1426 — 1256  (170  years).      From  the   death  of 

Joshua  to  the  beginning  of  the  Midianite  oppression 
Israel  under  the  first  four  fudges. 

(a)  Eight  years'  oppression  of  the  Syrians  on  the 

north-east  (1402 — 1394),  and  rule  of  Othniel. 
Judg.  L— iii.  11. 

(b)  Eighteen  years'  oppression  of  the  Moabites  on 

the   east   (1354 — 1336),   and   rule  of   Ehud. 
Judg.  iii.  12-31. 

(c)  Twenty  years'  oppression  of  the  Canaanites  on 

the  north  (13 16 — 1296),  and  rule  of  Deborah 
and  Barak.     Judg.  iV.,  V. 

(d)  Three  undated  episodes  of  the  early  days  of 

the  Judges,  inserted  between  the  histories  of 


46  SECOND   TERM. 

Samson  and  Samuel,  who  were  probably  about 
the  same  age — viz.,  the  origin  of  the  idola- 
trous worship  at  Dan,  Judg".  xvii.,  xviii. ; 
"  the  battle  in  Gibeah  against  the  children  of 
iniquity "  (as  Hosea  calls  it),  whose  details 
may  be  passed  over,  Judg.  xix. — xxi. ;  and 
the  story  of  Ruth,  Ruth. 

IV.  Geography. 

(See  "Oxford  Helps,"  Maps  IV.,  v.,  and  §§  ix., 
xxx.,  and  xxxiii.) 

A  few  days'  journey  along  the  shore  of  the  Mediterranean 
might  have  brought  Israel  from  Egypt  into  Palestine.  But 
with  their  minds  cankered  and  their  bodies  enfeebled  by 
slavery  they  would  have  been  unfit  either  to  conquer  or  to 
re-people  the  land.  They  needed  the  free  air  of  the  desert 
to  make  them  bold  and  hardy,  and  the  discipline  of  their 
wanderings  to  train  them  in  the  fear  of  God.  Moreover, 
they  needed  a  time  of  withdrawal  from  the  rest  of  mankind 
that  their  religious  and  social  institutions  might  be  fully 
organised,  and  that  they  might  learn,  as  they  could  never 
have  learned  elsewhere,  to  depend  wholly  upon  God. 
Modern  travellers  describe  the  scanty  vegetation,  inade- 
quate rainfall,  poor  and  scarce  water,  and  absence  of  animal 
life  in  the  wilderness  in  a  way  which  plainly  shows  that 
Israel's  needs  must  have  been  miraculously  supplied. 
During  the  Wanderings,  Kadesh,  the  only  city  named, 
seems  to  have  been  their  headquarters. 

Aaron  died  gazing  back  from  Hor  across  the  Wilderness 
to  Egypt.  Moses  died  gazing  forward  from  Pisgah  across 
Jordan  to  the  Land  of  Promise  ;  and  already  the  rich 
forest  and  pasture  lands  east  of  Jordan  (Deut.  xxxii.  14 ; 
2  Kings  iii.  4;  Psalm  xxii.  12)  had  been  subdued  and 
assigned  to  tribes  whose  character  was  especially  pastoral 
(Judg.  v.  16). 

Palestine  proper  lies  between  the  Arabah  or  wilderness 
beyond  the  Dead  or  Salt  Sea,  the  Jordan  valley,  the 
Lebanon  mountains,  and  the  Mediterranean,  "  the  sea  "  or 
"  the  great  sea  "  of  the  Scriptures,  just  as  the  Euphrates  is 
"  the  river  "  or  "  the  great  river "  (Num.  xxxiv.  7  ;  Deut. 


GEOGRAPHY.  47 

xxx.  13  ;  Psalm  lxxii.  8  ;  1  Kings  iv.  21).  It  is  called 
(a)  Canaan  (Exod.  xv.  15) ;  (b)  the  Land  of  Canaan  (Judg. 
xxi.  12)  ;  (c)  Palestine  or  Philistia  (Exod.  xv.  14;  Isa.  xiv. 
29>  3 x  >  Joel  iii-  4  y  comp.  A.V.  and  R. V.)  ;  (d)  the  Land  of 
the  Hittites  (Josh.  i.  4)  ;  (e)  the  Land  of  the  Hebrews  (Gen. 
xl.  15)  ;  (/)  the  Land  of  Israel  (1  Sam.  xiii.  19);  (jf)  the 
Land  of  Jehovah  (Hos.  ix.  3)  ;  {h)  the  Glorious  Land  (Dan. 
xi.  41)  ;  (t)  the  Holy  Land  (Zech.  ii.  12)  ;  (/)  the  Land 
(Ruth  i.  1).  It  is  139  miles  long  from  Dan  to  Beersheba, 
and  55  miles  wide  at  its  widest  from  Gaza  to  the  Dead 
Sea—/.*.,  it  is  about  the  size  of  Wales,  and  as  mountainous 
as  Switzerland  ;  and  for  its  beauty,  variety,  small  extent, 
and  great  influence  it  may  be  compared  to  Greece.  From 
north  to  south  it  falls  into  four  parallel  bands  :  (a)  Seaboard, 
a  maritime  plain  broken  only  by  the  spur  of  Carmel  ; 
(J?)  hill  country  from  Lebanon  to  the  desert,  broken  into  two 
masses  by  the  plain  of  Jezreel  ;  (c)  the  deep  trench  of  the 
Jordan  valley  ;  (d)  from  Hermon  to  the  Red  Sea,  the 
hills  of  Gilead  and  Moab.     Beyond  these  lie  wide  prairies. 

The  position  of  Palestine  links  it  both  to  the  East  and 
to  the  West.  For  though  it  is  in  Asia,  a  broad  and  im- 
passable desert  separates  it  from  the  rest  of  that  continent ; 
and  it  looks  towards  Europe  and  Africa.  In  the  Greek 
church  at  Jerusalem,  a  circle  of  marble  pavement  and  short 
column  marks  that  spot  as  the  centre  of  the  world.  And 
it  tells  a  truthful  tale.  Palestine  is  set  in  the  midst  of  all 
the  worldwide  empires  of  history,  including  the  British 
Empire  of  to-day  (Ezek.  v.  5) ;  and  it  commands  the 
Mediterranean,  the  one  great  highway  of  nations  until  the 
discovery  of  America.  It  became  the  cradle  of  the  only 
literature  which  was  written  for  all  mankind,  and  which  finds 
response  in  every  human  heart.  Within  its  narrow  borders 
every  variety  of  scenery  and  temperature  is  illustrated  ; 
and  the  products  of  almost  every  region  from  the  Poles  to 
the  Tropics  may  be  acclimatised  (Deut.  viii.  7-9).  There 
are  found  the  mighty  range  of  Lebanon,  "  the  great  white 
mountain,"  grim  with  eternal  snow  ;  the  gentle  uplands  of 
Galilee  ;  the  rugged  hills  and  rocky  gorges  of  Judaea ; 
coasts  here  shelving  and  there  abrupt,  washed  by  the 
sparkling  waves  of  the  Tideless  Sea ;  the  laughing  Lake  of 
Galilee  fringed  with  flowers  of  every  hue,  and  lovelier  than 


48  SECOND   TERM. 

even  the  far-famed  lakes  of  Italy  ;  the  awful  Dead  Sea, 
whose  leaden  ripple  breaks  over  the  deepest  depression  on 
the  whole  surface  of  the  earth  ;  brooks  overflowing  and 
impetuous  in  winter  that  well-nigh  vanish  in  summer ; 
bubbling  springs  that  can  be  identified  to-day  where  cities 
are  sought  in  vain  ;  vineyards  on  very  fruitful  hills  ;  corn 
as  tall  as  a  horseman,  standing  thick  on  fertile  vale  and 
plain  ;  shadowy  forest  and  sunny  garden,  sandy  desert  and 
arid  steep.  Still,  off  the  beaten  track,  we  find  abundant 
proof  that  no  country  better  repays  cultivation,  while  so 
rich  is  it  in  wild  flowers  that  from  one  blasted  rock  nearly 
iooo  lbs.  of  honey  were  lately  taken  (Psalm  lxxxi.  16). 
We  ask  the  travellers  of  to-day  to  give  us  their  impressions 
of  Palestine.  They  are  at  once  enchanted  with  its  sur- 
passing natural  beauty  and  depressed  by  the  ruin  and 
desolation  which  proclaims  that  it  is  under  a  long-enduring 
curse.  See  Henderson's  "  Palestine "  (T.  &  T.  Clark, 
Edinburgh,  2s.  6d.)  ;  Thomson's  "  The  Land  and  the  Book  " 
(Nelson,  js.  6d.)  ;  Stanley's  "  Sinai  and  Palestine  "  (Murray, 
12s.)  ;  and  the  maps  and  publications  of  the  Palestine  Ex- 
ploration Society. 

The  Jordan,  never  called  "the  river,"  like  the  Euphrates 
or  Nile,  but  always  spoken  of  by  its  significant  proper  name, 
which  means  "  the  Descender,"  is  unlike  any  other  stream 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  It  rises  iooo  ft.  above  the  Medi- 
terranean, flows  through  the  two  lakes  of  Merom  and 
Galilee,  and  empties  itself  into  the  Dead  Sea  1300  ft.  below 
the  Mediterranean,  having  fallen  2300  ft.  in  a  course  of  1 50 
miles.  It  never  turns  aside  from  its  course  due  north  and 
south,  and  never  loses  itself  in  ocean  ;  its  bed  is  so  deep 
that  its  stream  flows  unseen  almost  to  the  end  ;  its  down- 
ward course  in  one  long  cataract  is  so  rapid  that  no  boat 
can  swim  upon  it  for  more  than  half  a  mile,  and  it  is  as 
useless  for  navigation  as  it  is  for  irrigation.  No  wonder 
the  Canaanites  were  overcome  with  fear  and  amazement 
on  beholding  the  vehement  rush  of  such  a  river  arrested 
where  its  tfde  is  strongest,  at  floodtime  (Josh.  iii.  15,  v.  1), 
when  the  Ark  of  God  stood  in  its  bed,  as  the  Son  of  God 
was  hereafter  to  stand  there  in  prayer  to  be  set  apart  for 
His  work  on  earth,  and  acknowledged  by  a  voice  from  the 
excellent  glory  of  Heaven. 


HEROES.  49 

V.  Heroes. 

C  Moses,  2  Cor.  xii.  15. 
Keynotes  <  Phinehas,  Gal.  i.  8. 

{Joshua,  I  Cor.  xvi.  13. 

During  forty  years  Moses  grew  from  an  exceeding  fair 
child  into  a  student  at  the  most  learned  university,  and  a 
prince  at  the  most  brilliant  court  of  his  age.  His  wisdom 
must  have  been  acquired  at  On,  the  mother  university  of  the 
world  ;  and,  according  to  Josephus,  he  became  general  of 
the  Egyptian  army  and  won  renown  by  his  victory  over  the 
Ethiopians.  Then  having  shown  himself  an  ardent  patriot, 
he  endured,  for  another  forty  years,  exile,  through  which  he 
became  acquainted  not  only  with  the  desert  in  which  he 
was  to  guide  a  nation,  but  with  the  will  of  God,  which  he 
was  to  declare  as  it  had  never  been  declared  before  (Psalm 
ciii.  7).  Then  after  this  long  training  he  came  forward  for  a 
third  period  of  forty  years,  as  the  God-sent  deliverer,  daunt- 
less leader,  enlightened  lawgiver,  and  victorious  commander, 
judging  sin,  yet  pleading  for  the  sinner  ;  bearing,  believing, 
hoping,  and  enduring  all  things  for  his  discouraged,  dis- 
affected, and  erring  people.  And  mighty  not  only  in  his 
works,  but  in  his  words,  he  was  for  the  Hebrews  the  father 
both  of  poetry  and  history.  He  died  at  last  with  his  heart's 
prayer  ungranted,  leaving  others  to  enter  into  his  labours, 
beholding  from  Pisgah  the  goodly  land  which  he  would 
not  enter  until,  after  a  lapse  of  fifteen  centuries,  he  talked 
upon  another  high  mountain  with  the  Christ  of  whom  he 
wrote  (Matt.  xvii.  1-3  ;  John  v.  46).  Abraham  and  David 
are  both  called  prophets  incidentally  (Gen.  xx.  7  ;  Acts 
ii.  30).  But  never,  either  before  or  after,  were  the  lofty 
thought  of  the  prophet  and  the  bold  action  of  the  ruler 
joined  as  they  were  joined  in  Moses.  Beside  Moses  stood 
the  eloquent  Aaron  (Exod.  iv.  14),  greater  in  office,  less 
great  in  character ;  and  the  dignified  Hur  (husband  of 
Miriam,  according  to  Josephus),  who  seems  to  have  been 
the  head  of  those  seventy  elders  in  whom  some  trace  the 
origin  of  the  Sanhedrin  (Exod.  xxiv.  9,  14;  Num.  xi.  16). 

For  our  other  heroes,  however,  we  take  rather  his 
minister  Joshua,  and  his  grand-nephew  Phinehas.  Phinehas, 
third   high   priest   of   Israel,  is   the   first   example  of  the 


50  SECOND   TERM. 

uncompromising  warrior-ecclesiastic,  who  will  not  only 
maintain  truth,  but  punish  error  with  the  sword,  whose 
staunchness  is  rewarded  by  that  "  covenant  of  everlasting 
priesthood,"  through  which  (if  we  except  the  period  between 
Eli  and  Solomon)  all  the  high  priests  of  Israel  were  his 
descendants  until  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem  in  A.D.  70. 

Joshua  is  the  first  example  of  the  God-fearing  soldier, 
simple,  straightforward,  undaunted ;  strong,  yet  gentle ; 
devout,  yet  practical ;  one  who  had  learned  how  to  command 
by  obeying  ;  as  a  servant,  jealous  for  his  master's  honour  ; 
as  a  ruler,  jealous  for  God's  honour  ;  never  putting  himself 
forward,  never  seeking  aught  for  himself  until  all  had 
received  their  portions,  this  greatest  of  Ephraimites  stands 
forth  as  one  of  the  few  Old  Testament  worthies  whose 
memory  is  blameless,  and  as  the  first  who  bore  that  name 
which  was  to  become  the  Name  above  every  name  (Heb. 
iv.  8,  R.V.  margin  ;  Phil.  ii.  9,  10). 

VI.  The  Coming  Messiah. 

"  Christ  having  come  a  high  priest  of  the  good  things  to 
come,  through  the  greater  and  more  perfect  Tabernacle 
.  .  .  through  His  own  blood,  entered  in  once  for  all  into 
the  holy  place,  having  obtained  eternal  redemption? — 
Heb.  ix.  11,  12  (R. V). 

No  period  is  richer  in  Messianic  Types.  Moses  is  the 
one  person  to  whom,  as  a  Prophet,  our  Lord  directly  com- 
pares Himself;  Aaron  is  His  great  type  as  a  Priest ;  Joshua, 
His  namesake,  foreshadowed  Him  both  as  Servant  of  God 
and  as  victorious  King  ;  and  Boaz  as  the  Kinsman  Redeemer 
whom  Job  foretold. 

The  Tabernacle,  God's  holy  dwelling-place  set  in  the 
midst  of  the  people,  is  a  type  of  Christ  as  God  Incarnate 
(Heb.  viii.  2,  5,  ix.  1 1,  x.  5  ;  Dan.  ii.  34  ;  Col.  ii.  9  ;  John  i.  14, 
R.V.  margin  ;  Rev.  xiii.  6,  xxi.  3).  Each  of  its  contents 
has  spiritual  significance.  Its  Door  (John  x.  9)  and  its 
Veil  (Heb.  x.  20)  are  typical  ;  Christ  is  foreshadowed  in 
the  Table  of  Shewbread  as  the  Bread  of  Life  and  the  King  ; 
in  the  Golden  Candlestick  as  the  Light  of  the  World  and 
the  Prophet ;  in  the  Altar  of  Incense  as  the  Intercessor  and 
Priest ;  in  the  Ark  as  the  Fulfiller  of  all  God's  will ;  in  the 


THE   COMING  MESSIAH.  51 

Mercy  Seat  as  the  Propitiation  for  our  sins  through  whom 
we  have  our  access  to  the  Father  (Eph.  ii.  18).  In  the 
Laver  we  see  our  Regeneration  through  Him  who  came  by- 
water  as  well  as  by  blood,  to  renew  as  well  as  to  justify 
(Titus  iii.  5,  R.V.  margin  ;  1  John  v.  6) ;  while  the  Brazen 
Altar  points  to  the  Cross,  where  He  not  only  offered 
Himself  as  Priest,  but  suffered  as  Victim  (Heb.  xiii. 
10-12). 

Each  of  the  five  Sacrifices  there  made  showed  a  different 
aspect  of  the  one  "  full,  perfect,  and  sufficient  sacrifice, 
oblation,  and  satisfaction  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world." 
I  give  them  in  the  order  in  which  they  were  offered.  The 
Sin  Offering — made  monthly  and  yearly  for  the  congrega- 
tion, and  occasionally  for  individuals,  partly  burned  on  the 
altar,  and,  in  two  special  cases,  partly  burned  outside  the 
camp,  in  other  cases  partly  eaten  by  the  priests  ;  the  only 
sacrifice  whose  blood  was  poured  at  the  base  of  the  altar, 
and  the  most  fundamental  of  all — shows  Christ's  Atonement 
for  the  sin  of  the  world,  for  "  the  fault  and  corruption  of 
the  nature  of  every  man  "  (Article  IX.),  for  our  unconscious 
sinfulness  (Isa.  liii.  12;  John  i.  29 ;  2  Cor.  v.  21).  The 
Trespass  or  Guilt  Offering — only  made  occasionally  for 
individuals,  partly  burned  on  the  altar,  and  partly  eaten  by 
the  priests,  and  accompanied  by  confession,  restitution,  and 
a  special  ransom — shows  Christ's  Expiation  for  the  particular 
sins  of  particular  sinners,  for  our  known  sins  (Isa.  liii.  1 1  ; 
1  John  iii.  5,  i.  7-9).  The  Burnt  Offering— -made  daily, 
weekly,  monthly,  and  yearly  for  the  congregation,  and 
occasionally  for  individuals,  wholly  burned  upon  the  altar, 
the  earliest  kind  clearly  discriminated,  the  commonest,  and 
the  most  comprehensive  in  its  meaning — shows  Christ's 
Satisfaction  for  man's  rebellion  and  disobedience  when  He 
gave  Himself  up  without  blemish  and  without  spot  before 
God  in  perfect  self-consecration  as  our  Representative 
(Isa.  liii.  10;  John  x.  17,  18;  Eph.  v.  2;  Heb.  x.  6-9). 
The  Meal  Offering — made  daily  and  on  special  occasions 
for  the  congregation,  and  occasionally  for  individuals,  partly 
burned  on  the  altar,  and  partly  eaten  by  the  priests,  and 
pervaded  throughout  by  oil,  type  of  the  Holy  Spirit ; 
in  one  sense  the  earliest,  since  its  name  is  given  to  the 
offerings  of  Cain  and  Abel,  though  only  Cain's  was,  strictly 


52  SECOND    TERM. 

speaking,  a  meal  offering, — shows  Christ's  acceptable 
Oblation  of  a  perfectly  holy  human  character  and  life 
before  men  (Isa.  liii.  9;  Matt.  iii.  17;  1  Peter  ii.  22; 
Rom.  v.).  The  Peace  Offering — made  both  for  the  congre- 
gation and  for  individuals  on  many  occasions,  always  after 
other  sacrifices,  partly  burned  on  the  altar,  partly  eaten  by 
the  priests,  and  partly  eaten  by  the  people — shows  Christ's 
Reconciliation  of  man  to  God  (Isa.  liii.  5  ;  Eph.  ii.  14  ;  Col. 
i.  20  ;  John  xiv.  27). 

Summing  up,  these  offerings  embody  three  main  ideas  : — 
(a)  Expiation  in  the  Sin  and  Trespass  Offerings,  made/tfr 
(i.e.,  to  obtain)  communion  with  God,  never  accompanied 
by  meat  and  drink  offerings,  and  consumed  in  token  of 
wrath.  Sacrifices  of  this  type  were  the  creation  of  the 
Mosaic  Law  (Rom.  iii.  20),  though  they  had  been  imper- 
fectly anticipated  already.  Their  whole  meaning  is  brought 
out  for  the  first  time  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  after  the 
great  Antitype  had  died.  (b)  Self-devotion  in  the  Burnt 
Offering.  Christ  dedicating  Himself  for  us,  we  daily 
dedicating  ourselves  to  Him  (Rom.  xii.  1),  was  its  teaching, 
the  deepest  of  all,  which  links  all  the  five  Jewish  sacrifices 
together,  and  constitutes  the  chief  difference  between  them 
and  the  heathen  sacrifices.  We  see  from  the  prophets 
also  that  this  teaching  was  the  one  most  often  ignored. 
(c)  Thanskgiving  in  the  Meal  and  Peace  Offerings  (see 
p.  34).  Burnt,  Meal,  and  Peace  Offerings  were  all  made 
in  (i.e.,  having  obtained)  communion  with  God,  were  of  a 
sweet  savour,  and  were  burned  in  token  of  acceptance. 
("  Consumed  "  and  "  burned"  are  here  used  to  represent  two 
quite  different  words  in  the  Hebrew.) 

Note  in  conclusion  these  three  special  sacrifices,  with 
their  New  Testament  explanations : — (a)  The  annual 
Peace  Offering  of  the  Paschal  Lamb,  1  Cor.  v.  7.  (b)  The 
annual  Sin  Offering  of  the  Goat  for  Azazel,  Heb.  ix.  7. 
(c)  The  occasional  Sin  Offering  (made  but  seven  or  nine 
times  in  all  Israel's  history,  said  the  Rabbis)  of  the  Red 
Heifer,  Heb.  ix.  13. 

At  the  base  of  the  whole  Levitical  worship  lay  the 
conception  that  only  Blood,  the  material  vehicle  of  that 
immaterial  thing  which  we  call  Life,  can  atone  for  {i.e., 
cover)  human  sin,  whose  inevitable  result  is  death.     Thus  it 


GOD'S  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF  TO  MAN         53 

taught  that  nothing  short  of  the  Death  of  Christ  could 
retrieve  man's  Fall  (Lev.  xvii.  1 1  ;  Heb.  ix.  22  ;  Acts  xx. 
28  ;  1  Peter  i.  1 5-20).  Before  He  came,  the  Jews  clearly 
recognised  the  reference  of  their  sacrifices  to  the  coming 

o  m  o 

Messiah,  and  since  He  was  rejected  by  them,  sacrifice  has 
disappeared  from  their  worship. 

For  the  meanings  of  the  High  Priest's  Robes,  and  of  the 
other  ordinances  and  acts  of  the  Mosaic  ritual,  and  for  fuller 
working  out  of  those  suggested  above,  reference  must  be 
made  to  the  New  Testament,  and  especially  to  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews,  an  inspired  commentary  upon  the  Mosaic 
Law  that  students  would  do  well  to  learn  by  heart  at  the 
rate  of  2\  verses  a  day,  if  possible,  in  the  course  of  this 
term.  One  typical  event  of  our  period  is  referred  to  by 
Christ  (John  iii.   14),  and  another  by  S.  Paul  (1  Cor.  x.  4). 

Lastly,  this  term's  reading  contains  two  Predictions. 

(a)  Num.  xxiv.  17-19,  wherein,  looking  forward  to  the 
future  triumph  of  the  Hebrew  race  and  their  King,  the 
heathen  seer,  like  Caiaphas  hereafter,  condemned  himself. 
This  had  partial  fulfilment  in  David's  conquest  of  Moab  ; 
its  complete  fulfilment  will  be  when  Christ  rules  as  King 
(Matt.  ii.  2  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  25).  (J?)  Deut.  xviii.  15-19.  This 
occurs  in  a  book  which  proved  the  sheath  whence  Christ 
thrice  drew  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  for  His  own  use  (Matt, 
iv.),  and  was  expounded  by  Him  of  Himself  when  He  taught 
as  a  Prophet  (John  v.  45-7  ;  Acts  iii.  22).  All  that  was  per- 
manent in  the  new  relation  established  by  Moses  between 
God  and  Man  is  here  transferred  to  a  future  Lawgiver. 

VII.  God's  Revelation  of  Himself  to  Man. 

This  term's  reading  speaks  less  of  new  names  of  God, 
and  more  of  a  new  relation  of  God  to  man.  As  the  uncon- 
scious freedom  and  innocence  of  childhood  gives  place  to 
the  deeper  seriousness  and  independence  of  manhood,  so 
the  direct  and  familiar,  but  occasional  intercourse  of  God 
with  the  Patriarchs  ceased  when  Moses  no  longer  spake 
face  to  face  with  Him.  Joshua  was  the  first  man  who 
received  for  his  guidance  a  copy  of  the  Scriptures,  which 
are  mentioned  for  the  first  time  in  connexion  with  him 
(Exod.  xvii.  14;  Josh.  i.  8). 


54  SECOND   TERM. 

This  fuller  revelation  was  associated  with  a  sterner  law 
Jehovah  was  the  unseen  King  and  Head  of  Israel  then, 
just  as  Christ  is  the  unseen  King  and  Head  of  His  Church 
now.  Theocracy  (government  by  God)  is  a  word  used  by 
the  Jewish  historian  Josephus,  and  commonly  applied  to 
the  400  years  between  the  Exodus  and  the  reign  of  Saul. 
Strictly  speaking,  however,  Israel's  constitution  was  a 
theocracy  always,  whether  its  human  ruler  was  a  prophet 
like  Moses,  or  a  priest  like  Eli,  or  a  king  like  David.  God 
was  always  their  supreme  King  (1  Sam.  xii.  12  ;  Isa.  vi.  5, 
xxxiii.  17),  and  they  were  called  then,  as  the  Church  is 
called  now,  to  be  His  special  people  for  a  special  reason 
(1  Peter  ii.  9). 

Observe  how  the  threefold  form  of  the  Aaronic  Bene- 
diction anticipates  a  clearer  revelation  of  the  Triune  God 
(Num.  vi.  24-6). 

VIII.  Man's  Relation  to  God  in  Worship. 

Two  cardinal  truths  were  uttered  at  Sinai : 

(a)  That  the  people  of  Israel  were  set  apart  as  a  holy 
nation,  which  explains  why  the  Ceremonial  Law  was  given 
at  first  to  separate  them,  and  abrogated  later  on  when  their 
privileges  were  to  be  shared  by  others. 

(b)  That  their  God  was  "  eternal,  incorruptible,  invisible," 
which  explains  but  does  not  excuse  their  besetting  sin. 

The  various  laws  of  Moses  may  be  classified  under  three 
heads.  (1)  Moral,  referring  to  our  duty  to  ourselves.  All 
sin  wrongs  ourselves  in  the  first  place,  while  most  sins 
wrong  others  also.  These  laws  are  the  same  in  all  ages 
(Matt.  v.  17-48).  (2)  Political,  Civil,  and  Criminal,  refer- 
ring to  our  duty  to  our  neighbour.  Of  these  laws,  changed 
social  conditions  have  altered  the  details  though  not  the 
principles  (Mark  x.  5).  (3)  Religious  and  Ceremonial, 
referring  to  our  duty  to  God.  These  laws,  so  far  as  they 
referred  to  outward  observances,  were  modified  after  the 
more  perfect  manifestation  of  God  in  Christ.  (Contrast 
Lev.  xi.  and  Deut.  xiv.  with  1  Tim.  iv.  4  and  Rom.  xiv. 
20,  21.) 

In  spite  of  the  written  Law,  a  people  constantly  engaged 
in  war  or  agriculture  would  have  sunk  into  ignorance  and 


MAN'S  RELATION  70   GOD  IN  WORSHIP.  55 

barbarism  had  not  a  leisured  and  learned  class  not  wholly 
dependent  on  their  own  toil  been  set  apart  to  teach  it  to 
their  fellows  (2  Chron.  xxxi.  4).  Such  were  the  Levites 
(see  Exod.  xxxii.  26-9,  which  explains  the  contrast 
between  Gen.  xlix.  5-7  and  Deut  x.  8,  9,  xxxiii.  8- 11). 
They  had  neither  political  power  nor  personal  wealth,  and 
were  free  to  devote  themselves  to  the  maintenance  of 
public  worship.  In  time  they  became  chroniclers  and 
psalmists  also. 

The  Israelites  proved  too  "carnal"  (1  Cor.  iii.  1)  to 
understand  the  worship  of  an  unseen  God  and  King. 
Hence  Idolatry  became  their  great  national  sin  until  the 
Babylonian  Captivity.  There  were  two  kinds  of  idolatry, 
which  must  be  carefully  distinguished  throughout  the  Old 
Testament. 

(a)  Transgression  of  the  First  Commandment,  worship- 
ping false  gods  instead  of  or  together  with  Jehovah.  This 
apostasy  formed  the  sin  of  Israel  at  Shittim  (Num.  xxv.), 
of  Joash  the  Abiezrite  (Judg.  vi.),  and  of  King  Ahab. 

(J?)  Transgression  of  the  Second  Commandment,  worship- 
ping Jehovah,  the  one  Creator,  under  the  symbolic  likeness 
of  a  created  thing  (2  Kings  xviii.  22,  xvii.  41).  These  un- 
lawful "  aids  to  devotion  "  formed  the  sin  of  Israel  at  Sinai 
(Exod.  xxxii.),  of  Micah  (Judg.  xvii.),  and  of  King 
Jeroboam  I. 

Passages  illustrating  Leviticus,  etc. — i  Chron. 
ii.-viii. ;  Neh.  ix.  21-31;  Psalm  xliv.  1-3,  lxxviii.  55-8, 
xcv.  8-1 1,  cvi.  13-18  and  24-48,  cxiv.,  cxxxv.  10-12, 
cxxxvi.  16-22;  Micah  vi.  4-9;  Acts  vii.  45,  xiii.  18-20; 
Hebrews.  Whitfield's  "  Tabernacle,  Priesthood,  and  Offer- 
ings of  Israel "  (Nisbet,  $s.)  deals  with  the  symbolism 
of  the  Mosaic  ritual  in  a  simple  and  popular  way. 

Again  we  pause,  but  what  we  have  read  only  stimulates 
us  to  read  on.  When  and  how  will  a  strong  nation  be 
formed  out  of  this  chaos  of  warring  tribes?  Will  the 
Israelitish  dodecarchy  give  place  to  monarchy  as  the 
English  heptarchy  did  ?  Will  Shiloh  continue  to  be  the 
capital,  and  Ephraim  the  leading  tribe  ?  Will  the  struggle 
with  their  heathen  neighbours  for  independence,  nay  for 
existence,  pass  into  an  assured  mastery  over  them  ?  Who 
is  this  David,  whose  ancestry  has  been  so  fully  described  ? 


56  SECOND  TERM. 

IX.  Questions. 
(See  pp.  13,  18.) 

[Questions  I.,  II,  XII.,  XXI..  and  XXIV.  may  be  answered  with  help  of 
any  books.  The  other  27  questions  should  be  answered  with  the  help  of  A.  V. 
and  R.V.  only.] 

I.  Draw,  with  fine  pen  and  ruler  : — 

(a)  A  ground  plan  of  the  Tabernacle,  showing  the 
relative  size  and  position  of  the  Court,  the  Holy  Place,  and 
the  Holy  of  Holies,  and  also  their  contents. 

(b)  A  ground  plan  of  the  Camp  of  Israel,  showing  the 
positions  of  the  three  companies  of  Levites  and  of  Moses 
and  Aaron  with  regard  to  the  Tabernacle,  and  stating  the 
leader,  number,  and  charge  of  each  ;  and  secondly,  the 
positions  of  the  twelve  tribes,  naming  their  leaders.  Mark 
the  points  of  the  compass  on  both  plans.     (25.) 

II.  Quote  one  description  of  the  wilderness  from  the 
Psalms,  and  two  from  the  Prophets,  which  indicate  the 
hardships  of  those  who  wandered  there.     (3.) 

III.  Enumerate  seven  occasions  on  which  the  Israelites 
murmured.     (7.) 

IV.  Show  from  several  passages  that  they  transgressed 
the  First  as  well  as  the  Second  Commandment  in  the 
wilderness.     (6.) 

V.  Quote  a  conversation  between  Balaam  and  Balak  on 
the  subject  of  the  sacrifices  that  are  pleasing  to  God,  and 
prove  from  the  Second  Book  of  Kings  that  human  sacrifice 
was  not  unknown  among  the  Moabites.     (4.) 

VI.  Give  the  total  number  of  the  children  of  Israel 
(a)  in  B.C.  1706  ;  (b)  in  B.C.  1490  ;  (c)  in  B.C.  1452.  Which 
tribe  increased  and  which  tribe  decreased  most  between 
1490  and  1452?     (8.) 

VII.  "Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous  ! "  Was 
this  aspiration  fulfilled  in  the  case  of  the  man  who  uttered 
it?     (2.) 

VIII.  Quote  three  New  Testament  precepts  enforcing 
each  of  the  Ten  Commandments.     (30.) 

IX.  "Of  all  the  ancient  lawgivers,  Moses  alone  endea- 
voured to  mitigate  the  evils  of  slavery  as  a  domestic 
institution  "  {Milman).  Point  out  some  of  these  mitiga- 
tions.    (8.) 


QUESTIONS.  57 

X.  Name  the  five  kinds  of  animals  that  might  be  offered 
in  sacrifice,  stating  for  which  of  the  five  kinds  of  sacrifice 
each  was  available.     (8.) 

XL  Mention  (a)  The  one  offering  that  need  not  be 
unblemished  ;  (&)  the  one  fast  appointecftby  Moses.     (2.) 

XII.  What  were  the  three  great  annual  festivals?  By 
what  various  names  are  they  called  ?  How  were  they 
observed?  What  was  their  significance  in  relation  to 
(a)  The  seasons  of  the  year  ;  (b)  the  history  of  Israel  ; 
(c)  the  Gospel  of  Christ  ?  What  additional  annual  festivals 
were  instituted  after  the  Captivity  ?     (30.) 

XIII.  "Nazirite"  means  "one  separated."  From  what 
was  the  Nazirite  separated  ?  Name  some  famous  men  who 
were  Nazirites.     (6.) 

XIV.  Point  out  the  differences  in  privilege,  garb,  function, 
etc.,  between  the  high  priest  and  the  priest,  and  between 
the  priest  and  the  Levite.     (10.) 

XV.  Find  in  the  Gospels  or  Acts  of  the  Apostles  an 
exemplification  of  each  of  the  following  passages : — 
(1)  Exod.  xxx.  7,  8 ;  (2)  Exod.  xxxviii.  26 ;  (3)  Lev.  x.  6, 
xxi.  10  ;  (4)  Lev.  xi.  ;  (5)  Lev.  xii.  3  ;  (6)  Lev.  xii.  8  ;  (7)  Lev. 
xiii.  45,  46  ;  (8)  Lev.  xiv.  3,  4  ;  (9)  Lev.  xx.  10 ;  (10)  Lev. 
xxiii.  3  ;  (n)  Deut  xvi.  16  ;  (12)  Deut.  xix.  15  ;  (13)  Deut. 
xxi.  23  ;  (14)  Deut.  xxiii.  25  ;  (15)  Deut.  xxv.  1-3  ;  (16)  Deut. 
xxv.  5.     (16.) 

XVI.  In  Deuteronomy,  Israel  is  bidden  to  remember 
twelve  times.  Give  references,  and  name  the  things  to  be 
remembered.     (11.) 

XVII.  Quote  a  verse  in  Deuteronomy  where  God  is 
called  Israel's  Father.  His  love  to  us,  and  our  love  to  Him 
is  a  thought  running  all  through  that  book,  which  thus 
anticipates  Christ's  teaching.    Trace  this  out  carefully.    ( 1 2.) 

XVIII.  Where  is  Moses  called  (1)  a  prophet,  (2)  a 
priest,  (3)  a  king,  (4)  a  leader,  (5)  a  lawgiver,  (6)  a  shepherd 
of  God's  flock,  (7)  a  man  of  God,  (8)  a  man  mighty  in  his 
words  and  works  ?  Show  by  a  genealogical  table  his 
relationship  to  Levi  and  to  Bezalel.  What  do  we  know  to 
the  discredit  of  one  of  his  grandsons?     (15.) 

XIX.  Dean  Stanley  suggests  "heedless  of  self"  as  the 
exact  meaning  of  the  word  rendered  "  meek  "  in  Num.  xii.  3. 
Discuss  the  character  of  Moses,  showing  how  this  trait  was 


58  SECOND   TERM. 

impressed   upon  all  his  actions  from  first  to  last.     How 
often  did  he  intercede  successfully  for  his  people  ?   (12.) 

XX.  Mention  a  speech  and  two  actions  of  Moses  recorded 
in  Hebrews  and  not  in  the  Old  Testament.  What  do  we 
learn  from  the  New  Testament  as  to  his  motive  in  throw- 
ing in  his  lot  with  Israel  ?  Consider  Moses  as  a  type  of 
Christ.     (15.) 

XXI.  The  exhortation,  "  Be  strong  "  occurs  more  than 
twenty  times  in  the  Bible.  Give  as  many  references  as 
you  can.     (10.) 

XXII.  How  and  when  was  the  curse  in  Josh.  vi.  26 
fulfilled  ?  What  New  Testament  allusions  are  there  to 
Jericho  ?     (4.) 

XXIII.  "They  asked  not  counsel  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord."  What  were  the  circumstances  and  the  results  of 
this  omission  ?  Give  other  instances  of  enterprises  under- 
taken with  and  without  prayer.     (12.) 

XXIV.  Draw  on  card  or  drawing  paper  a  map  of  Canaan 
as  divided  among  the  tribes,  indicating  the  portion  of  each, 
and  marking  the  six  cities  of  refuge  in  red.  Mark  also  the 
Sea  of  Chinnereth,  the  Dead  Sea,  the  Arnon,  the  Jordan, 
the  Kishon  ;  Hermon,  Carmel,  Ebal,  Gerizim,  Tabor,  Dan, 
Beersheba,  Bethel,  Jericho,  Ai,  Gibeon,  and  any  other  cities 
you  please  which  are  mentioned  in  this  term's  reading. 

N.B. — Rule  margins,  latitudes,  and  longitudes  ;  outline  in 
pencil,  then  in  ink  with  a  very  fine  pen  ;  then  colour  in 
transparent  washes,  and  lastly  print  the  names.     (25.) 

XXV.  Sketch  the  character  and  career  of  Phinehas.  In 
what  words,  six  times  repeated,  is  the  character  of  Caleb 
summed  up?     (10.) 

XXVI.  Prove  that  the  mother  and  grandmother  of 
David's  grandfather  were  not  Israelites.     (5.) 

XXVII.  Illustrate  1  Chron.  v.  1,  2,  by  showing  very 
briefly — (a)  that  up  to  the  days  of  Samuel,  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh  were  the  leading  tribes  ;  (7?)  that  from  Samuel  to 
the  Captivity,  Judah  was  the  leading  tribe  ;  (/:)  that  Reuben 
made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  claim  the  right  of  the 
firstborn.     (15.) 

XXVIII.  Where,  when,  by  whom,  and  with  what  result 
were  the  following  battles  fought? — Hormah,  Jahaz,  Edrei, 
Bethhoron,  Merom,  Megiddo.     (24.) 


QUESTIONS.  59 

XXIX.  How  many  New  Testament  allusions  can  you 
find  to  Aaron,  Joshua,  Korah,  Balaam,  Rahab,  Barak  ?   (10.) 

XXX.  What  do  you  know  of  the  following  ? — Achsah, 
Adoni-bezek,  Chilion,  Eldad,  Heber,  Hobab,  Jair  the 
Manassite,  Mahlah,  Mishael,  Shamgar,  the  Kenites,  Chit- 
tim  ?     (24.) 

XXXI.  Show  how  the  following  attributes  of  God  are 
revealed  in  this  term's  reading  : — Living,  Holy,  Jealous. 
Where  is  He  called  the  Rock  five  times,  and  in  what  book 
is  He  called  "  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh  "  twice  ?     (5.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following  : — (a)  "  A 
mother  in  Israel."  (b)  "  Children  in  whom  is  no  faith." 
(c)  "  The  land  ye  have  rejected."  (d)  "  Because  ye  believed 
not  in  Me."  (e)  "  Every  man  in  his  place."  (/)  "  Every 
man  straight  before  him."  (jr)  "  Every  man  shall  be  put 
to  death  for  his  own  sin."  (/i)  Be  sure  your  sin  will  find 
you  out."  (1)  "  Wroth  with  me  for  your  sakes."  (J)  "  My 
son,  give  glory  to  the  Lord."  (k)  "  Let  us  go  up  at  once." 
(/) "  Whithersoever  thou  sendest  us  we  will  go."  (;;/)  "  Come 
thou  with  us."  (n)  "  A  full  reward  be  given  thee  of  the 
Lord."  (0)  "  I  am  come  forth  for  an  adversary."  (j>)  "  I 
am  not  among  you."  (g)  "  I  dwell  in  the  midst  of  the 
children  of  Israel."  (V)  "  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as 
thyself."  (s)  Thou  shalt  be  altogether  joyful."  (t)  "  The 
Lord  your  God  proveth  you."  (u)  "  That  ye  go  not  about 
after  your  own  heart  and  your  own  eyes."  (v)  "  It  is  not  too 
hard  for  thee."  (w)  "  The  secret  things  belong  unto  the 
Lord  our  God."  (x)  "  What  hath  God  wrought !  "  (y)  "  He 
is  thy  life."  (z)  "  He  hath  known  thy  walking  through  this 
great  wilderness."     (26.) 

For  Second  Series  of  Questions,  see  p.  309. 


THIRD    TERM. 
The  Days  of  David. 
The  Chosen  Nation  under  One  King, 
b.c.  1256 — 1018. 

?s  VI — XVI.  1  Samuel.  2  Samuel! — XXIII  1  Chronicles 
I. —XX.  Psalms  II— XXV.  XXVII.  XXIX.  XXXI  XXXII. 
XXXIV.  XXXV.  XXXVIII— XLI.  II—IXIV.  IXVIII—IXX. 
LXXVIII.  CI  CVIII.—  CX.  CXXXVIII.  CXL.—  CXIIII 
(146  chapters.) 

"  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  ...  the  testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure, 
.  .  .  the  precepts  of  the  Lord  are  right,  .  .  .  the  commandment  of  the  Lord  is 
pure,  .  .  .  the  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether." — 
Psalm  xix.  7-9. 


9th  MONTH   (35). 

Judg.  VI.— XVI.     1  Sam.  I.— 

XVII.  Psalms  VIII.,  XIX., 
XXIIL,    XXIX.  1       Sam. 

XVIII.  Psalms  CXL.,  CXLI. 

10th   MONTH   (37). 

1  Sam.  XIX.,  XX.  Psalms 
LIX..XIIL,  XL  1  Sam.  XXI. 
Psalms  LVL.  XXV.  1  Sam. 
XXII.  Psalms       XXXIV., 

CXLIL,  LVIL,  LII.  1  Sam. 
XXIIL  —  XXVI.  Psalms 

LVIIL,  XXXV,  LEV,  VII., 
XVII.  1  Sam.  XXVIL— 
XXXI.     1  Chron.  I.— X. 


nth  MONTH   (37). 

2   Sam.   I.— V.   16 
1-9,    XIV.   1-7 


1  Chron. 
XL  1-9,  XIV.  1-7.  2  Sam. 
XXIIL  8-39.  1  Chron.  XL 
10-47,  XII.     Psalm  LXXVIII., 


nth   MONTH  Continued. 

Psalm  XVI.     2  Sam.   VI.,  VII. 

1  Chron.  XIII.,  XV—  XVII. 
Psalms  CL,  XXIV.,  XV.,  CX., 
CXXXVIII.  2  Sam.  V.  17-25, 
VIII.— XL  1,  XII.  26-31, 
XXL  15-22.  1  Chron.  XIV. 
8-17,  XVIIL— XX.  Psalms 
XX.,  XXL,  LX.,  CVIIL,  IX., 
II.,  XVIIL  2  Sam.  XXII. 
Psalm  LXVIII. 

12th  MONTH  (37). 

2  Sam.  XL  2— XII.  25.  Psalms 
LI.,  XXXIL,  VI.,  XXXVIIL, 
XXXIX.,  XLL,  XL.,  LXX..  V. 
2  Sam.  XIII  —XV.  12.  Psalms 
X.,  XIL,  XIV.,  LIIL,  LXIL, 
LXIV.  2  Sam.  XV.  13— XVII. 
Psalms  CXLIIL,  LXIIL, 
XXVIL,  LV.,  CIX.,  LXIX, 
XXIL,  XXXL,  LXL,  III.,  IV. 
2  Sam.  XVIIL— XXI.  14. 


I.   General  Summary. 

THE  Promised  Land  has  been  claimed,  but  secure  pos 
session  can  only  be  won  through  conflict  with  all  tht 
neighbouring  nations  (see  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  xxx.).  Syriansx 

60 


GENERAL  SUMMARY.  61 

Moabites,  and  Canaanites  have  already  been  defeated,  and 
a  preliminary  encounter  with  the  Philistines  (Judg.  iii.  31, 
x.  11)  has  taken  place.  Three  greater  struggles  remain, 
whose  story  occupies  us  throughout  this  term. 

At  its  beginning  we  find  Palestine  overrun  by  hordes  of 
Midianites  and  Amalekites  from  the  desert,  and  the  Israel- 
ites fleeing  for  their  lives  to  mountains  and  caves.  Their 
signal  deliverance  from  this  extremity  is  often  referred  to 
afterwards  (Psalm  lxxxiii.  9-12  ;  Isa.  ix.  4,  x.  26). 

Eighty  years  later  came  the  Ammonite  invasion,  and  lastly 
the  Hundred  Years  War  with  the  PJiilistines  (Gen.  x.  14). 
A  pastoral  tribe  of  that  name  occupied  the  fertile  plain  of 
South-West  Palestine  in  Abraham's  days  (Gen.  xx.,  xxi.). 
By  1 49 1  they  had  become  a  formidable  military  and  com- 
mercial nation  with  five  strongholds  (Exod.  xiii.  17,  xv.  14) 
who  had  already  given  Israel  cause  to  fear  them  (1  Chron. 
vii.  2022,  viii.  13).  When  their  territory  was  assigned  to 
Dan  and  Judah,  they  contested  these  invaders'  succession 
and  obtained  the  mastery  for  a  period  of  forty  years  known 
as  "the  days  of  the  Philistines"  (Judg.  xiii.  1,  xiv.  4,  xv. 
1 1,  20).  Shamgar  and  Samson  began  to  deliver  Israel  from 
them  (Judg.  iii.  31,  xiii.  5),  and  it  was  probably  to  avenge  the 
crowning  exploit  of  the  latter  that  they  put  themselves  in 
array  against  Israel  at  Aphek,  and  inflicted  a  defeat  which 
seemed  to  destroy  her  national  existence.  This  overthrow 
was  referred  to  as  "  the  day  of  the  captivity  of  the  land  " 
(Judg.  xviii.  30  ;  Psalm  lxviii.  18),  and  the  catastrophe  which 
desolated  Shiloh  can  only  be  paralleled  in  Israel's  history 
with  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem  in  B.C.  588  and  in  A.D.  70. 
Hence  the  murderous  fury  which  Jeremiah's  allusion  to  it 
provoked.  The  rout  of  Israel  under  priests  whose  "  sin 
was  very  great  before  the  Lord  "  was  retrieved  on  the  same 
spot  twenty  years  later  by  the  blameless  prophet  Samuel 
(1  Sam.  vii.  13).  Then  Israel  asked  for  a  king  to  strengthen 
their  hands,  and  God  gave  them  Saul  (1  Sam.  ix.  16, 
xiv.  52).  Central  Palestine  had  now  become  a  Philistine 
country,  and  its  heirs  had  passed  over  Jordan  again.  He 
turned  the  tide  of  war,  but  because  he  rejected  the  word  of 
the  Lord  his  great  victory  at  Michmash  ended  in  defeat  on 
the  scene  of  Gideon's  triumph  over  Midian.  Final  deliver- 
ance came  through  the  faithful  King  Davidy  who   fought 


62  THIRD    TERM. 

his  first  battle  in  1064,  and  his  last  battle  some  thirty  years 
later,  against  the  Philistines.  He  carried  the  war  into  the 
enemy's  country,  captured  their  strongholds,  and  made  them 
tributary  (2  Sam.  iii.  18,  xix.  9).  Not  until  the  disastrous 
reign  of  wicked  Jehoram  (889 — 885)  shall  we  meet  with 
them  again  ;  but  in  "  Palestine  "  (i.e.,  "  Philistia  "),  the  most 
familiar  name  of  the  land  of  Israel,  they  left  a  lasting  trace 
of  their  long  domination. 

David's  wars  were  the  summary  and  the  conclusion  of 
the  whole  contest  (Acts  vii.  45).  The  victories  of  Barak 
and  Gideon  over  the  Canaanites  and  Midianites  were  final  ; 
but  it  was  David  who,  besides  subduing  the  Edomites, 
finally  vanquished  the  Syrians,  Moabites,  Amalekites,  Am- 
monites, and  Philistines.  And  so  "  the  heathen  perished 
out  of  God's  land  "  at  last  (Psalm  x.  16),  and  Israel  became 
united,  independent,  and  strong  (Josh.  xxi.  45). 

Of  the  3  30  years  between  Joshua's  death  and  Saul's  acces- 
sion, in  were  passed  by  some  portion,  sometimes  a  large 
portion,  of  God's  People  in  servitude.  This  was  not  part 
of  God's  plan  for  them,  but  the  result  of  their  own  worldli- 
ness  and  disobedience,  and  pursuit  of  what  they  considered 
expedient  and  not  of  what  was  right.  (Observe  these  four 
stages  :  Judg.  i.  21,  iii.  5,  xxi.  25,  x.  6.)  They  sought  to 
serve  their  own  true  God  and  the  false  gods  of  their  neigh- 
bours as  well  ;  they  wanted  to  have  both  God  and  God's 
enemies  for  their  friends  (Psalm  cvi.  34-6).  Now  those  who 
live  wholly  for  the  world  may  be  happy,  though  not  in  the 
highest  way  ;  those  who  live  wholly  for  God  must  be  happy 
in  the  highest  way.  But  those  who  try  to  serve  God  and  the 
world  at  once  must  be  miserable.  That  is  our  lesson  from 
those  ancient  wars.     What  was  their  result  for  Israel? 

Nine  hundred  years  elapsed  between  the  Exodus  and 
the  Babylonian  Captivity — viz.,  400  years  of  irregular 
government  by  fifteen  judges,  and  500  years  of  monarchy. 
The  progress  and  prosperity  of  the  nation  under  David 
and  Solomon  fully  justified  the  establishment  of  monarchy, 
which  we  have  now  to  consider. 

Two  hundred,years  after  the  death  of  Moses  they  offered 
an  hereditary  crown  to  Gideon.  He  refused  it,  and  the 
power  of  his  son  was  too  limited  to  warrant  us  in  calling 
him  the  first  King  of  Israel.     1 50  years  later,  under  Philis- 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  63 

tine  pressure,  the  need  for  a  permanent  guarantee  oi 
national  unity  again  asserted  itself  with  irresistible  force. 
Different  judges  had  ruled  different  tribes  ;  Samuel  for  the 
first  time  ruled  all  Israel  (1  Sam.  iii.  20),  and  when  Shiloh 
lay  desolate  and  Jerusalem  was  still  a  Jebusite  city,  his 
abode  at  Ramah  became  the  national  centre.  Events  were 
ripe  for  more  settled  political  institutions  than  the  casual 
rule  of  men  who  claimed  uncertain  allegiance  during  their 
lives,  and  left  certain  confusion  at  their  deaths  (Judg.  xvii.  6, 
xviii.  1,  xix.  1,  xxi.  25).  Monarchy,  though  not  established 
by  Moses,  was  clearly  contemplated  by  the  Mosaic  Law 
(Deut.  xvii.  14-20).  But  wilfully  and  defiantly  the  people 
demanded  a  king,  that  they  might  be  "  like  all  the  nations," 
ignoring  their  peculiar  position  as  the  People  of  God.  And 
God,  who  sometimes  allows  us  to  mete  out  our  own  punish- 
ment when  we  importune  Him  to  give  according  to  our  own 
will,  not  His  (Psalm  cvi.  15),  gave  them  a  king  after  their 
own  heart  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  When  they  had  learned 
that  "  unblest  good  is  ill,"  He  gave  them  a  king  after  His 
own  heart  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  and  established  his 
dynasty  for  ever  (Acts  xiii.  21,  22). 

II.  Books  to  be  Read. 
(See  "Oxford  Helps,"  §  v.) 

This  term  our  time  is  divided  between  four  of  the  his- 
torical and  one  of  the  poetical  books  of  the  Old  Testament. 
The  larger  number  of  appointed  chapters  does  not  represent 
more  work.  For  we  have  already  made  some  acquaintance 
with  1  Chron.  i.-viii.,  and  several  of  the  following  chapters 
are  almost  verbal  repetitions  of  chapters  in  Samuel  ;  many 
of  the  Psalms  are  very  short,  and  four  of  them  occur  twice 
over.  We  are  in  the  age  of  one  of  the  greatest  poets  of 
the  world,  and,  with  two  exceptions,  the  following  poems 
are  all  from  his  hand  : — 

{a)  The  Song  of  Hannah,  the  earliest  "  hymn  "  properly 
so-called,  a  first  outpouring  of  individual  as  distinct  from 
national  devotion  (1  Sam.  ii.  i-io;  comp.  Luke  i.  46-55). 

(b)  David's  Song  of  the  Bow,  from  the  Book  of  Jashar, 
the  finest  and  the  most  ancient  of  all  dirges,  mourning 
Saul  with  the  harp  that  had  so  often  soothed  him,  and,  full 


64  THIRD   TERM. 

of  charity  as  it  is  of  poetry,  saying  nought  but  good  of 
David's  enemy,  while  commemorating  David's  friend,  the 
mighty  archer  of  the  archer  tribe,  in  words  destined  to  be 
used  by  David's  own  tribe  as  they  learned  to  handle  the 
archer's  weapon  (2  Sam.  i.  19-27). 

(V)  David's  Elegy  over  Abner,  a  brief  outburst  of  grief 
for  the  sudden  and  violent  end  of  a  great  prince  (2  Sam. 

iii-  33,  34). 

(d)  David's  Song  of  Praise  on  the  greatest  day  of  his 
life,  when  he  was  at  once  conqueror  and  king,  poet  and 
musician.  Two  liturgical  psalms,  added  to  the  Psalter 
•after  the  Captivity,  were  founded  upon  it  (Psalm  cv.  1-15, 
xcvi.,  cvi.  47,  48),  as  our  Prayer  Book  makes  general  use  of 
the  three  canticles  in  S.  Luke  (1  Chron.  xvi.  7-36). 

(e)  David's  Song  of  Victory,  recalling  his  conflicts  with 
all  his  enemies  from  the  first  and  most  implacable,  and 
ascribing  his  success  wholly  to  God  (2  Sam.  xxii. ;  comp. 
Psalm  xviii.). 

(jT)  David's  Last  Words,  one  of  his  most  notable  psalms. 
It  sums  up  all  his  life's  experience  of  the  faithfulness  of 
God  (2  Sam.  xxiii.  1-7).  (We  read  this  next  term,  but 
note  it  now  to  complete  the  list.) 

Sixty-one  Psalms,  all,  save  one,  by  David  ;  see  p.  180. 

1  and  2  Samuel  with  1  and  2  Kings  are  spoken  of  in  the 
Septuagint  as  "  the  four  books  of  Kings."  They  form  one 
historical  compilation  based  upon  the  writings  of  Samuel, 
Nathan,  Gad,  Isaiah,  and  others  (1  Chron.  xxix.  29),  and, 
it  seems,  completed  and  finally  edited  by  Jeremiah  the 
prophet  immediately  after  the  Captivity.  They  were 
written  by  Prophets  with  all  the  freshness  and  fulness  of 
contemporary  records.  They  are  political,  military,  and 
poetical,  and  contain  the  history  of  all  Israel.  Only  they 
insert  accounts  of  the  reign  of  Saul,  of  David's  wanderings 
and  of  his  fall,  and  of  the  rebellions  of  Absalom  and 
Adonijah.  Their  keynote  is  The  Throne  of  the  Lords 
Anointed  (John  i.  41,  49,  xii.  13,  xviii.  33-7). 

1  and  2  Chronicles  are  called  in  the  Septuagint,  "  The 
history  of  the  things  left  out."  They  are  based  upon  the 
public  records  first  instituted  by  David  (1  Chron.  xxvii.  24), 
but  were  edited  after  the  Captivity,  probably  by  Ezra  the 
priest,  some  1 50  years  later  than  Kings.     They  cover  the 


PERIODS  AND  DATES.  65 

whole  period  of  the  four  Books  of  Kings,  which  they  are 
evidently  designed  to  supplement.  In  contrast  to  Kings, 
they  were  written  by  Priests  and  Levites,  with  the  dis- 
passionate judgment  befitting  records  of  events  long  past. 
They  are  ecclesiastical,  genealogical,  and  prosaic,  and 
contain  the  history  of  Judah  (1  Chron.  v.  2,  xxviii.  4). 
Only  they  insert  complete  genealogies  from  Adam,  com- 
plete statistics  of  David's  kingdom,  full  descriptions  of  his 
preparations  for  the  Temple,  and  henceforth  of  everything 
relating  to  its  worship.  Their  keynote  is  The  Lord  dwelleth 
in  Jerusalem  (1  Chron.  xxiii.  25,  R.V.  ;  Matt.  v.  35  ;  John 
iv.  20;  Rev.  xxi.  2,  3). 

III.  Periods  and  Dates. 

The  chronology  becomes  more  definite  as  this  period 
of  238  years  draws  to  a  close,  but  several  very  perplexing 
questions  are  connected  with  it.  S.  Paul's  statement  in 
Acts  xiii.  20  (but  see  R.V.)  agrees  with  the  result  of 
adding  up  the  periods  of  servitude  and  judgeship  named 
in  Judges,  but  it  cannot  be  reconciled  with  the  assertion 
in  1  Kings  vi.  1,  that  12  periods  of  forty  years  elapsed 
between  the  Exodus  and  the  erection  of  the  Temple. 
Some,  therefore,  regard  this  assertion  as  an  erroneous  in- 
terpolation and  throw  the  Exodus  back  140  years  ;  others 
more  reasonably  recognise  that  the  periods  in  Judges  are 
not  successive  but  overlap  each  other.  For  instance,  Judg. 
xi.  26  indicates  that  Jephthah's  rule  began  in  11 52,  and 
since  Samson's  cannot  have  begun  later  than  11 36,  Ibzan, 
Elon,  and  Abdon  must  have  been  contemporary  in  another 
part  of  Palestine  with  one  or  other  of  these  two.  Thus  in 
a  period  only  extending  over  130  years,  450  years  are 
accounted  for. 

(1)  B.C.  1256 — 1 136  (120  years).  From  the  Midianite 
oppression  to  the  beginning  of  Samson's  rule. 
Israel  under  eight  Judges. 

(a)   Seven   years'   oppression   of   the    Midianites 

and  Amalekites  in  Central  Palestine  (1256 — 

1249),  and  rule  of  Gideon,  Abimelech,  Tola, 

and  J  air.     Judg.  vi. — x.  5. 

(J?)  Eighteen  years'  oppression  of  the  Ammonites 

5 


66  THIRD   TERM. 

on  the  east  (1170 — 1152),  and  rule  of  Jeph- 
thah,  Ibzan,  Elon,  Abdo'n  (and  Eli  ?)  Judg. 
x.  6 — xii. 

(2)  B.C.  1 136 — 1096  (40  years).     From  the  beginning  of 

Samson's  rule  to  the  accession  of  Saul.    Israel  under 
the  last  three  Judges.     "  The  days  of  the  Philistines" 

(a)  1 1 36 — 1 1 16.      The  rule  of  Samson  and  Eli, 

and  defeat  at  Aphek.  Judg.  xiii.  —  xvi.  ; 
1  Sam.  i. — iv. 

(b)  1 1 16 — 1096.     The  rule  of  Samuel  and  victory 

at  Ebenezer.     1  Sam.  v. — vii. 

(3)  B.C.  1096 — 1056  (40  years).     From  the  accession  of 

Saul  to  his  death.  Israel  under  Samuel  and  Said. 

(a)  1096 — 1064.  The  probation  of  Saul  through 
prosperity.  1  Sam.  viii. — xv. 

(b)  1064 — 1056.  The  probation  of  David  through 

adversity  1  Sam.  xvi.,  xvii. ;  Psalms  viii.,  xix., 
xxiii.,  xxix. ;    1  Sam.  xviii. ;   Psalms  cxl.,  cxli. ; 

1  Sam.  xix. ;  Psalm  lix. ;  1  Sam.  xx. ;  Psalms 
xiii.,  xi. ;  1  Sam.  xxi. ;  Psalms  lvi.,  xxv. ;  1  Sam. 
xxii. ;  Psalms  xxxiv.,  cxlii.,  lvii.,  lii. ;  1  Sam. 
xxiii. — xxvi.  ;  Psalms  lviii.,  xxxv.,  liv.,  vii., 
xvii. ;  1  Sam.  xxvii. — xxxi. ;  1  Chron.  i. — x. 

(4)  B.C.    1056— 101 8    (38    years).       From    the    death   of 

Saul    to    the    choice    of  a    site    for    the    Temple. 
Israel  under  David. 

{a)  1056 — 1049.    His  reign  at  Hebron  over  Judah. 

2  Sam.  i. — iv. 

(J?)  1049 — io36.  His  reign  at  Jerusalem  over  all 
Israel.  His  victories,  glory,  and  prosperity. 
2  Sam.  v.  1-16;  1  Chron.  xi.  1-9,  xiv.  1-7;  2  Sam. 
xxiii.  8-39;  1  Chron.  xi.  1047,  xii.;  Psalms 
lxxviii.,  xvi. ;  2  Sam.  vi.,  vii. ;  1  Chron.  xiii., 
xv. — xvii. ;  Psalms  ci.,  xxiv.,  xv.,  ex.,  exxxviii. ; 
2  Sam.  v.  17-25,  viii.— xi.  1,  xii.  26-31,  xxi. 
15-22;  1  Chron.  xiv.  8-17,  xviii.— xx. ;  Psalms  xx., 
xxi.,  lx.,  cviii.,  ix.,  ii.,  xviii. ;  2  Sam.  xxii. ; 
Psalm  lxviii. 

(c)  1036— 101 8.      His  sin   and  suffering.     2  Sam. 

xi.  1 — xii.  25;  Psalms  li.,  xxxii.,  vi.,  xxxviii., 
xxxix.,  xii.,  xl.,  lxx.,  v.;    2  Sam.  xiii. — xv.  12; 


GEOGRAPHY.  67 

Psalms  x.,  xii.,  xiv.,  liii.,  lxii.,  lxiv.,  2  Sam.  xv. 
13— xvii. ;  Psalms  cxliii.,  lxiii.,  xxvii.,  lv.,  cix., 
lxix.,  xxii.,  xxxi.,  lxi.,  iii.,  iv. ;  2  Sam.  xviii. — 
xxi.  14. 


IV.  Geography.  ■ 
(See  "Oxford  Helps,"  Maps  V.  and  VI.) 

We  have  already  studied  Palestine,  the  scene  of  all  this 
term's  events,  and  although  Jerusalem  is  characterised  as 
"the  city  where  David  encamped"  (Isa.  xxix.  1),  there 
are  several  good  reasons  for  postponing  its  topography 
to  the  reign  of  David's  son,  who  was  "  King  in  Jerusalem  " 
(Eccles.  i.  1). 

How  much  of  the  whole  land  which  God  promised  was 
possessed  by  Israel  ?  This  geographical  question  now  calls 
for  solution. 

By  God  Himself  to  Abraham,  through  Moses  to  Israel 
on  leaving  Egypt,  and  again  through  Ezekiel  to  Israel 
during  the  Babylonian  Captivity,  a  territory  was  promised 
to  the  Chosen  People,  which  was  2\  times  as  large  as  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  or  300,000  square  miles  in  extent. 
Speaking  generally,  it  lay  between  the  Nile  and  the 
Euphrates,  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Persian  Gulf  or 
the  Syrian  Desert.  Solomon  for  a  short  time  ruled  the 
whole  of  it  as  King  of  Israel  and  suzerain  of  Israel's 
neighbours.  But,  omitting  the  Trans-Jordanic  provinces 
whose  occupants  soon  ceased  to  have  any  close  connexion 
with  their  compatriots,  we  find  that  what  they  actually 
possessed  lay  between  Beersheba  and  Dan,  the  Mediter- 
ranean and  Jordan,  and  was  little  larger  than  Wales.  Did 
Israel's  sin  make  void  the  promise,  or  will  it  be  fulfilled 
hereafter?     Jer.  xxxii.  37-42  ;  Amos  ix.  15  ;  Rom.  xi.  29. 

Careful  comparison  of  the  following  passages  with  each 
other  and  the  maps  will  show  the  exact  boundaries  : — 
Gen.  xiii.  14,  15,  xv.  18;  Exod.  xxiii.  31  ;  Num.  xiii.  21, 
xxxiv.  2-8;  Deut.  xi.  24;  Josh.  i.  3,  4  ;  I  Kings  iv.  21,  24, 
viii.  65  ;  2  Chron.  vii.  8,  ix.  26;  Psalm  lxxii.  8,  lxxx.  u, 
lxxxix.  25;  Isa.  xxvii.  12  (R.V.) ;  Ezek.  xlvii.  13-21; 
Zech.  ix.   10, 


68  THIRD   TERM. 

On  the  north,  Mount  Hor  (that  is,  either  Mount  Casius 
on  the  Bay  of  Antioch,  or  the  Lebanon  Range  generally), 
the  entering  in  of  Hamath  to  Zebad,  and  the  River,  or 
the  Great  River,  that  is,  the  Euphrates. 

On  the  east,  the  Euphrates  and  Syrian  Desert,  or  else 
the  Orontes,  Jordan,  the  Salt  (or  Dead)  Sea,  and  Red  Sea. 

On  the  south,  the  deserts  of  Paran  and  Zin,  called  "  the 
ends  of  the  earth,"  to  "  the  brook  of  Egypt "  (that  is,  the 
Wadi  l'Areesh  or  Rhinocolura).  The  Nile,  or  "  river  of 
Egypt,"  is  only  mentioned  in  Gen.  xv.  1 8. 

On  the  west,  the  Great,  Hinder,  or  Western  Sea,  or  Sea 
of  the  Philistines,  that  is,  the  Mediterranean. 

V.  Heroes. 

(Gideon,  Phil.  iv.  13,  17  (R.V.), 
Keynotes  <  Samuel,  Eph.  vi.  18. 
{David,  Eph.  vi.  6. 

Each  of  this  term's  heroes  stands  out  sharply  contrasted 
with  a  contemporary  in  a  way  that  throws  much  light 
upon  him.  Gideon  is  the  most  heroic  character  in  Judges, 
and  he  wrought  the  greatest  deliverance  there  recorded. 
Mighty  in  faith,  he  recalls  the  past  greatness  of  Joshua  ; 
courteous,  forbearing,  and  humble,  he  anticipates  the  future 
grace  of  David.  His  disinterested  patriotism  finds  a 
modern  parallel  in  George  Washington.  He  yields  to 
none  of  the  judges  in  dignity  ;  Samuel  only,  who  rose 
above  his  superstitious  devotion,  excels  him  in  holiness. 
The  crown  he  set  aside  was  seized  by  the  rash  and 
unscrupulous  Abimelech,  the  one  judge  who  performed 
no  public  service. 

Samson  and  Samuel  were  about  the  same  age.  Both 
were  Xazirites  from  birth  ;  both  were  raised  up  to  deliver 
Israel,  and  received  a  special  call  and  a  special  training 
for  their  work.  Samson's  extraordinary  physical  power 
enabled  him  to  strike  terror  into  the  Philistines  and 
encourage  Israel,  but  his  wayward  inconsistency  and 
uncontrolled  passions  wasted  that  power  on  isolated  feats, 
and  he  carried  out  no  organised  plan  of  national  defence 
and  founded  no  national  institutions.  Samuel's  extra- 
ordinary moral  power  was  an   outcome  of  the  holy  and 


HEROES.  69 

consistent  life  of  one  who  had  served  the  Lord  from  his 
youth.  He  and  S.  John  are  the  great  Scripture  examples 
of  inward,  silent,  unbroken  growth  in  grace  from  childhood, 
as  Jacob  and  S.  Paul  are  of  sudden  and  decisive  conversion 
in  mature  years.  Note  that  the  same  religious  surround- 
ings which  aided  this  growth  in  him  only  hardened  the 
sons  of  Eli.  Warrior,  ruler,  counsellor,  intercessor,  and 
prophet,  Samuel  was  neither  king  nor  priest  nor  poet.  He 
was  not,  like  Moses,  the  originator  of  new  institutions, 
nor,  like  Jeremiah,  the  upholder  of  old  ones.  To  him 
was  committed  the  hardest  task  of  guiding  his  country 
safely  through  a  time  of  transition,  when  new  conditions 
brought  new  needs.  He  was  the  last  judge,  and  the  first 
of  that  long  succession  of  prophets  who  will  claim  our 
chief  attention  later  on.  And  as  the  Levite  son  of 
Zacharias  was  forerunner  of  the  Son  of  David,  so  the 
Levite  son  of  Elkanah  was  forerunner  of  David. 

Chosen  of  the  Lord  (2  Sam.  xxi.  6,  R.V.),  endowed  with 
the  Spirit,  with  Samuel  for  his  counsellor  and  David  for  his 
friend,  Saul  was  favoured  in  all  his  circumstances.  But  his 
fierce  Benjamite  temper  was  ungoverned,  his  better  impulses 
were  guided  by  no  steady  principle,  his  religion  did  not 
influence  his  moral  nature.  Ever  and  always  he  did  accord- 
ing to  his  own  will,  and  sought  what  was  right  in  his  own 
eyes.  God  put  him  to  a  test  less  severe  than  those  which 
Abraham  and  Gideon  had  undergone  triumphantly.  First, 
by  a  trial  of  endurance  under  pressure  from  the  enemy 
(1  Sam.  xiii.).  In  his  rash  superstition  and  impatience  he 
broke  through  the  restraint  imposed  upon  him  by  Samuel. 
Secondly,  by  a  trial  of  obedience  under  pressure  from 
the  people  (1  Sam.  xv.).  In  blind  self-confidence  he  dis- 
regarded God's  plain  command  to  him.  These  failures 
proved  him  unfit  for  the  trust  committed  to  him,  so,  in 
mercy  to  Israel,  God  first  took  the  kingdom  away  from 
his  family,  and  secondly  rejected  him  from  being  king. 
His  third  and  crowning  sin  was  asking  counsel  of  one  that 
had  a  familiar  spirit  in  defiance  of  the  law  of  Moses 
(1  Chron.  x.  13,  14).  Suicide,  possibly  completed  by  the 
hand  of  one  of  those  Amalekites  concerning  whom  he  had 
sinned,  was  the  dark  close  of  a  career  that  might  have  been 
full  of  light.     So  he  perished,  self-willed  king  of  a  self- 


ye  THIRD   TERM. 

willed  people ;  and,  though  fits  of  madness  came  over  him 
as  they  have  come  over  more  than  one  unhappy  monarch 
whose  imperious  will  has  been  unchecked  by  either  prin- 
ciple or  circumstances,  we  cannot  assert  that  he  was  not 
responsible  for  his  own  destruction  (2  Peter  ii.  21). 

David  and  S.  Paul  stand  alone  among  the  characters  of 
Holy  Writ  in  leaving  writings  through  which  we  can  look 
into  their  heart  of  hearts,  and,  of  all  the  heroes  of  the  Old 
Testament,  David  is  the  one  we  know  best  ;  1 3 1  of  its 
chapters  have  him  for  their  theme  or  their  author,  and  he 
is  frequently  mentioned  in  Scripture  elsewhere.  His  daring 
courage,  his  quick  sagacity,  the  prudence  that  never  deserted 
him,  his  prompt  resource  in  difficulty,  his  singular  mixture 
of  tenderness  and  severity,  his  inborn  power  to  rule,  his 
skill  to  plan  and  enterprise  in  carrying  out  his  plans, 
remind  us  of  the  champions  of  the  past  His  intellectual 
gifts  link  him  to  the  "  wise  men "  of  the  age  which  suc- 
ceeded his.  For,  while  we  speak  of  the  rod  of  Moses,  the 
spear  of  Joshua,  the  sword  of  Gideon,  and  the  mantle  of 
Samuel,  we  refer  to  the  harp  of  David.  As  Moses  the 
Prophet  anticipated  Samuel,  so  Moses  the  Psalmist  antici- 
pated David,  who  was  the  greatest  of  Israel's  poets,  and 
the  first  of  all  poets  to  give  utterance  to  man's  deep  joy 
in  nature's  beauty  and  man's  deep  longings  after  com- 
munion with  God.  "  David  "  means  "  beloved,"  and  no 
one  ever  gave  or  received  more  passionate  and  devoted 
love  than  he,  from  the  day  the  young  hero  of  Ephes- 
Dammim  was  the  nation's  darling,  to  the  day  the  aged 
king  bowed  the  hearts  of  all  as  the  heart  of  one  man 
(1  Sam.  xviii.  1,  3,  5,  16,  20,  22,  28,  30  ;  2  Sam.  xix.  14). 
His  was  that  highly  emotional  nature  that  feels  pleasure 
and  pain  and  is  conscious  of  the  good  and  evil  in  others 
to  a  very  rare  degree.  The  versatility  and  complexity  of 
character  and  gifts  which  we  note  in  many  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah  reached  their  climax  in  David,  and  the  training 
for  his  life  work  was  unusually  complete.  The  early  years 
of  pastoral  solitude  and  meditation  ;  the  camp  and  court, 
first  of  Israel,  then  of  Philistia  the  great  military  power 
of  the  day  ;  the  College  of  .Prophets  at  Ramah,  in  which 
we  may  discover  a  germ  of  the  universities  of  Christendom  ; 
the  life  of  hardship  and  risk  in  the  wilderness  where  David 


HEROES.  71 

gathered  followers,  not  as  a  mere  rebel  against  Saul,  but 
as  an  independent  chieftain,  destined  to  be  king,  fighting 
Israel's  foes,  and  having  with  him  Abiathar,  the  High  Priest, 
and  Gad,  the  prophet  of  God ;— in   all  these  he  learned, 
above  every  other  lesson,  to  know  God,  to  trust  Him  wholly, 
and  to  commune  with  Him  daily  and  hourly.     "Servant 
of  God  "  is  the  title  given  to  him  oftener  than  any  other, 
which  he  shares  with  Moses  and  Joshua  only  of  all  Old 
Testament  saints  in  the  New  Testament,  the  title  in  which 
S.  Paul,  the  greatest  of  all  the  sons  of  Abraham,  gloried. 
"  The  way  of  David  "  becomes  as  proverbial  as  "  the  way 
of  Jeroboam "  afterwards,   and   God,   who   rejected    Saul, 
made  with  David  an  everlasting  covenant  (2  Sam.  xxiii.  5). 
But,  it  may  be  said,  surely  the  shortcomings  of  David 
were  even   more  grievous  than   those  of  Saul.     When  his 
throne  was  established  in  peace  and  prosperity,  despite  the 
generosity  and  chivalry,  the  self-control  and  faithful  friend- 
ship which  had  hitherto  distinguished  him,  he  was  hurried 
away  into  shameful  sin  against  God  and  man.     It  is  not 
enough  to  reply  that  we  cannot  judge  a  Jewish  king  by 
a   Christian   standard,  since  his   temptations  were  greater 
and   his  restraints  fewer   than    ours.     His   crimes   would, 
it    is    true,  have  been   thought  little  of  by  contemporary 
monarchs,   but  then  he  had   the  law  of  Moses.      To  his 
disregard  of  one  clear  precept  in  it  (Deut.  xvii.   17)  may 
be  traced  not  only  all  the  evils  and  troubles  in  his  own 
family,   but  his    successor's  apostasy    and    the  consequent 
disasters  to  his  house  and  to  Israel.     Yes,  like  Saul,  David 
sinned,  and  many  men  have  been  more  blameless  than  he. 
Yet  few  have  been  so  good,  for   notwithstanding   his  sin 
it  remained  the  habit  of  his  life  to  fulfil  God's  will  from 
his  heart  (1  Kings  xv.  3-5  ;  Acts  xiii.  22),  and  therefore, 
unlike  Saul's  sins,  his  sins  were  followed  by  fullest  acknow- 
ledgment, deepest   contrition,  and    meekest  endurance   of 
the  appointed  chastisement.     David's  "  heinous  sin,  hearty 
repentance,   and   heavy    punishment "   (to   quote    Fuller's 
expressive   phrase)   is    recorded    for    our    everlasting    in- 
struction.    From  the  record  we  learn  these  three  things. 
That  the  noblest  intellectual  gifts,    the  greatest    religious 
privileges,    the    fullest    knowledge   of  the    truth,    and    the 
highest  spiritual  attainments  cannot  keep  us  from  the  most 


72  THIRD   TERM. 

flagrant  transgressions  if  we  cease  to  depend  humbly 
upon  God  and  to  use  diligently  all  the  means  of  grace 
(i  Cor.  x.  12).  That  repentance  means  much  more  than 
penance  and  much  more  than  remorse,  and  that  "the 
forgiveness  of  sins,"  in  which  we  so  continually  profess  our 
belief,  is  free,  final,  and  abundant  (with  Isa.  xliii.  25 
compare  1  Kings  xiv.  7,  8).  Lastly,  we  learn  that  in  this 
life  we  must  reap  the  natural  consequences  even  of  for- 
given sin.  David's  own  words  of  self-vindication  in 
Psalm  vii.  3-5  were  terribly  taken  in  earnest,  although  death, 
the  legal  penalty  he  had  incurred,  was  remitted  ;  and  from 
the  Psalms  he  wrote  beyond  Jordan,  ten  years  later,  we 
perceive  that  there  is  anguish  worse  than  death ;  it  can 
never  be  with  us  as  it  would  have  been  if  we  had  not 
sinned. 

VI.  The  Coming  Messiah. 

"  How  then  doth  David  in  the  Spirit  call  Him  Lord?  " 
Matt.  xxii.  41-5  (R.V.). 

Each  of  the  "saviours"  whom  God  gave  Israel  (Neh. 
ix.  27)  was  a  more  or  less  perfect  Type  of  Him  whom  the 
angel  named  JESUS  (Matt.  i.  21).  Gideon  sets  aside  the 
crown,  Jephthah  gives  his  dearest  a  willing  sacrifice  to  free 
her  country  from  a  terrible  obligation,  Samson  dies  with 
the  Philistines  for  Israel,  Samuel  prays  without  ceasing 
for  his  people.  But  "  the  good  things  to  come "  were 
most  distinctly  foreshadowed  in  "  the  man  whom  God 
raised  on  high"  (with  2  Sam.  xxiii.  I  comp.  Acts  v.  31) 
as  His  Anointed.  The  whole  history  of  David  is  a  type 
of  the  militant  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  all  his  utterances  in 
the  Psalms  find  their  deepest  and  highest  application  as 
the   utterances   of  his   greater   Son  (Luke   xxiv.  44,  and 

P-   177). 

That  our  Lord  would  spring   out  of  Judah   had   been 

already  foretold.  This  term  we  learn  to  add  "  Son  of 
David"  to  "Son  of  Abraham"  (Matt.  i.  1).  Three  Pre- 
dictions in  the  historical  books  give  more  definite  shape 
than  had  been  given  heretofore  to  the  hopes  which  reached 
their  highest  pitch  just  1000  years  after  David. 

(a)  1  Sam.  ii.  10,  which  makes  first  mention  of  the 
Lord's  Anointed  (Luke  ii.  26  ;  Acts  iv.  26,  27,  R.V.). 


GOD'S  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF   TO  MAN.        73 

(b)  1  Sam.  ii.  35.  The  original  allusion  is  to  Zadok, 
whose  descendants  held  the  high-priesthood  till  the  Fall 
of  Jerusalem  in  A.D.  70,  but  it  finds  complete  fulfilment  in 
Christ  (Heb.  ii.  17). 

(V)  2  Sam.  vii.  12-16  ;  1  Chron.  xvii.  11-14.  Here  again 
the  immediate  reference  is  to  Solomon,  but  even  without 
David's  own  comments  on  the  promise  in  2  Sam.  xxiii.  3-5, 
and  in  the  Psalms,  the  words  "for  ever"  show  for  the 
first  time  that  the  Messiah  would  not  only  be  a  King, 
but  that  He  would  be  more  than  human  (Isa.  lv.  3  ;  Luke 
i.  31-3;  Acts  ii.  30,  31,  xiii.  34;  Heb.  i.  5).  This  being 
so,  we  may  see  in  the  "  house  for  God's  name  "  the  earliest 
mention  of  the  Church  of  Christ  (1  Tim.  iii.  15  ;  Heb.  iii.  6). 
Henceforth  there  was  an  ever-growing  expectation  of  a 
second  David  greater  than  the  first  (Ezek.  xxxvii.  24,  25  ; 
Amos  ix.  11). 

VII.  God's  Revelation  of  Himself  to  Man. 

To  the  Patriarchs  God  was  known  as  El  Shaddai ;  to 
Moses  as  Jehovah.  Now  in  a  fresh  crisis  of  His  people's 
history,  He  reveals  Himself  again  by  a  new  name, 
Jehovah  Sabaoth  (i  Sam.  i.  3,  11,  xvii.  45),  first 
publicly  proclaimed  by  David  on  the  day  he  brought  up 
the  Ark  to  Zion  (2  Sam.  vi.  2,  18,  vii.  26;  Psalm  xxiv.). 
Sabaoth,  like  "  host,"  is  used  both  of  the  stars  of  the 
material  heaven  and  of  the  angels  of  the  invisible  world, 
and  this  name  means  "  Lord  of  Hosts  or  Armies,"  i.e.,  of 
all  the  intelligent  creatures  who  perform  the  Divine  will  in 
heaven  and  earth  (1  Kings  xxii.  19  ;  Neh.  ix.  6 ;  Dan. 
iv.  35  ;  Psalm  ciii.  21  ;  Matt.  vi.  10;  Luke  ii.  13),  and  is 
translated  in  the  Septuagint  by  a  Greek  word  which  in 
2  Cor.  vi.  18,  and  nine  times  in  Revelation,  is  rendered 
"Almighty,"  but  which  should  rather  be  rendered  "All- 
sovereign."  To  the  newly  settled  fabric  of  Church  and 
State  it  was  a  pledge  of  victory  and  glory,  and  while 
it  indirecdy  rebuked  idolatrous  worship  of  the  host  of 
heaven  (Acts  vii.  42),  it  answered  to  the  wider  range  of 
vision  opening  on  Israel  with  a  new  epoch  of  her  civilisa- 
tion. Jehovah  Sabaoth  remained  the  chief  name  of  God 
throughout  the   monarchical    period.     It  occurs   over  260 


74  THIRD   TERM. 

times  in  the  Old  Testament  and  twice  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment (Rom.  ix.  29  ;  James  v.  4),  and  is  used  to-day  all 
over  Christendom  when  "  the  holy  Church  throughout  all 
the  world"  echoes  the  songs  of  heaven  in  her  grandest 
hymn  of  praise. 

Observe  how  David's  enumeration  of  the  God  of  Israel, 
the  Rock  of  Israel,  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  (2  Sam. 
xxiii.  2,  3)  points  on  to  future  manifestation  of  the  Three 
in  One. 

VIII.  Man's  Relation  to  God  in  Worship. 

We  have  seen  how  the  days  when  every  man  did  what 
was  right  in  his  own  eyes  (Judg.  xxi.  25  ;  Deut.  xii.  8,  28) 
ended  in  a  corrupt  priesthood,  a  desolate  sanctuary,  and 
a  captive  Ark.  The  Ark  never  returned  to  the  dis- 
honoured Tabernacle  in  ruined  Shiloh,  but  during  the 
succeeding  age  of  political  change  and  religious  confusion 
both  were  carried  from  place  to  place,  and  worship  seems 
to  have  been  offered  at  each.  Meanwhile  the  people 
relapsed  again  and  again  into  the  two  forms  of  idolatry 
explained  last  term,  and  the  practice  of  various  unauthor- 
ised superstitions  prevailed  (Judg.  xviii.  24-7  ;  1  Sam.  xv. 
23,  R.V.,  xix.  13).  But  at  length  God  chose  a  place  for 
His  abode  (1  Chron.  xxiii.  25,  R.V.  ;  Psalm  lxviii.  i6,lxxviii. 
67,  68,  lxxxvii.  2,  cxxxii.  13,  14),  and  it  was  the  desire 
of  David's  heart  there  to  build  a  House  for  Him  who  had 
so  long  been  served  in  a  roving  tent. 

How  David  prepared  for  that  House,  and  how  Solomon 
reared  it,  we  shall  learn  next  term, 

IX.  Questions. 
(See  pp.  13,  18.) 

[Questions  III,    IV,    V,  VI,   XV,  XVI,  XVII.,   XXV,  and  XXIX. 

may  be  answered  with  the  help  of  any  books.  The  other  23  questions  should 
be  answered  with  the  help  of  A.V.  and  R.V.  only.] 

I.  "  The  Lord  sent  Jerubbaal  and  Jephthah  and 
Samuel."  Complete  the  quotation,  and  show  in  a  few 
words  for  what  purpose  each  was  sent,  and  how  he  carried 
out  that  purpose.     (6.) 


QUESTIONS.  75 

II.  Make  a  chronological  table  of  the  fifteen  Judges, 
stating  where  they  ruled,  how  long  they  ruled,  and  what 
they  did  for  Israel.  Which  of  them  are  commended  for 
their  faith  in  the  New  Testament  ?     (30.) 

III.  At  what  times  and  in  what  ways  was  the  judgment 
upon  Eli's  house  completely  fulfilled  ?     (5.) 

IV.  Prove  from  Jeremiah  and  the  Psalms  that  Shiloh  was 
desolated  after  the  capture  of  the  Ark.     (3.) 

V.  Show  without  reference  to  the  books  bearing  his 
name  that  Samuel  was  a  prophet,  acceptable  to  God,  and 
a  man  of  faith  and  prayer.     (6.) 

VI.  What  do  we  know  to  the  credit  of  one  of  Samuel's 
grandsons  ?     (4.) 

VII.  Give  examples  of  the  vehement  vows  that  were 
one  characteristic  of  the  age  between  Moses  and  David.    (8.) 

VIII.  Sketch  briefly  the  history  of  Saul's  persecution  of 
David,  and  trace  David's  wanderings.     (20.) 

IX.  Why  did  David  commit  his  parents  to  the  King 
of  Moab  ?  Did  he  keep  the  oath  recorded  in  1  Sam.  xxiv. 
21,22?     (4.) 

X.  Rehearse  briefly  the  chief  incidents  in  the  career 
of  Jonathan,  and  illustrate  his  faith,  courage,  patience, 
generosity,  unselfishness,  and  piety.     (15.) 

XL  How  may  we  account  for  the  conduct  of  the  men 
of  Jabesh  Gilead  to  Saul,  and  for  that  of  Joab  to  Abner  ?     (4.) 

XII.  Prove  that  each  of  the  following  tribes  furnished 
Israel  with  at  least  one  ruler  between  B.C.  1500  and  B.C. 
1000: — Levi,  Judah,  Zebulon,  Issachar,  Dan,  Naphtali, 
Manasseh,  Ephraim,  Benjamin.     (12.) 

XIII.  How  often  was  David  anointed  ?     (2.) 

XIV.  Give  as  full  an  account  as  you  can  of  David's 
nephews,  omitting  Joab.     (14.) 

XV.  Which  of  Solomon's  great-grandfathers  is  parti- 
cularly described  in  the  Psalms  ?     (3.) 

XVI.  Where  is  David  called  (1)  a  prophet,  (2)  a 
patriarch,  (3)  "  David  the  King,"  (4)  "  a  leader  and  com- 
mander," (5)  "  the  man  of  God,"  (6)  "  the  servant  of  God," 
(7)  God's  "firstborn,"  (8)  God's  "anointed,"  (9)  "a  man 
after  God's  own  heart,"  (10)  "one  chosen  out  of  the 
people,"  (11)  "the  sweet  psalmist,"  (12)  inventor  of  instru- 
ments of  music,  (13)  "light  or  lamp  of  Israel,"  (14)  father 


76  THIRD   TERM. 

of  the  Messiah  ?     On  what  occasion  did  he  wear  the  dress 
and  perform  the  office  of  a  priest  ?     (16.) 

XVII.  Find  six  New  Testament  references  to  David  as 
inspired,  and  ten  to  him  as  the  ancestor  of  the  Messiah. 
On  how  many  occasions  was  our  Lord  addressed  as  "  Son 
of  David  "  ?  What  events  in  David's  life  are  alluded  to  in 
the  New  Testament  ?     (22.) 

XVIII.  What  does  "Samuel"  mean?  Show  how  the 
lives  of  Samuel  and  David  illustrate  the  power  of  prayer. 

(15.) 

XIX.  Consider  David  as  a  type  of  Christ  in  character 
and  circumstances.     (15.) 

XX.  Briefly  relate  the  history  of  the  Ark  of  God  from 
B.C.  145 1  till  it  "had  rest"  in  B.C.  1041.     (15.) 

XXI.  Trace  the  application  of  1  Chron.  xvi.  20-22  to 
Abraham,  Jacob,  David,  and  the  Ark.     (8.) 

XXII.  "  The  Lord  was  with  him."  Find  14  passages  in 
which  this  is  said  of  David.     (14.) 

XXIII.  Is  there  any  evidence  that  Absalom's  effeminate 
vanity  caused  his  death  ?     (2.) 

XXIV.  Name  three  heroes  who  slew  lions.     (3.) 

XXV.  Explain  the  Old  Testament  historical  allusions  in 
the  following  passages  in  the  Psalms  : — ii.  7,  iv.  7,  vii.  4, 
xi.  6,  xxi.  3,  li.  11,  lv.  3,  12-14,  lx.  6-9,  lxi.  2,  lxviii.  11,  29 
R.V.,  lxxviii.  60-68,  ex.  4.     (28.) 

XXVI.  Show  by  New  Testament  quotations  that  these 
ten  Psalms  refer  to  Christ : — ii.,  viii.,  xvi.,  xxii.,  xxiv.,  xl, 
xli.,  lxviii.,  lxix.,  ex.     (20.) 

XXVII.  By  whom  and  to  whom  was  the  oldest  letter 
whose  contents  are  on  record  written  ?  Who  uttered  the 
oldest  parable,  and  who  invented  the  oldest  riddle  extant  ? 
To  whom  was  the  first  temple  mentioned  in  Scripture 
dedicated  ?     (4.) 

XXVIII.  Name  the  first  instance  of  a  foreigner  holding 
high  office  in  Israel,  and  the  first  instance  of  a  ruler  who 
owed  his  elevation  wholly  to  popular  suffrage.     (4.) 

XXIX.  Illustrate  Acts  x.  35  by  naming  representatives 
of  the  nations  whom  »God  bade  Israel  destroy  or  shun 
among  the  friends  and  followers  of  David.     (8.) 

XXX.  Where,  when,  by  whom,  and  with  what  result 
were  the  following  battles  fought? — Harod,  Oreb's  Rock, 


QUESTIONS.  77 

Karkor,    Aroer,    Aphek,    Ebenezer,    Michmash,    Havilah, 
Ephes-Dammim,  Gilboa.     (40.) 

XXXI.  What  do  you  know  of  the  following  ? — Ahitub, 
Chimham,  Gaal,  Hushai,  Ichabod,  Ittai,  Merab,  Purah, 
Sheba,  Ziba,  the  Cherethites,  and  Pelethites.     (24.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — (a)  "Thy 
people  offer  themselves  willingly  "  ;  (&)  "  I  have  looked 
upon  My  people  "  ;  (c)  "The  Lord  seeth  not  as  man  seeth  "  ; 
(d)  "  Who  daily  beareth  our  burden  "  ;  (e)  "  Go  in  this  thy 
might "  ;  (J)  "  God  is  gone  out  before  thee  "  ;  (g)  "  God  is 
for  me " ;  (h)  "  Them  that  honour  Me  I  will  honour "  ; 
(z)  "  That  they  might  set  their  hope  in  God  "  ;  (i)  "  God  was 
entreated  of  them  because  they  put  their  trust  in  Him  "  ; 
(k)"\  have  no  good  beyond  Thee";  (/)  "Thou  knowest 
Thy  servant " ;  (in)  "  Strengthen  me  only  this  once "  ; 
(n) "  O  that  Thou  wouldest  keep  me  from  evil" ;  (p)  "  Blessed 
be  the  Lord  that  hath  kept  back  His  servant  from  evil  "  ; 
(p)  "  Thou  art  worth  ten  thousand  of  us  "  ;  (q)  "  Thine  are 
we,  David  "  ;  (r)  "  With  me  thou  shalt  be  in  safeguard  "  ; 
(s)  "  Thou  shalt  surely  prevail "  ;  (t)  "  The  wicked  shall 
return  to  Sheol  " ;  (u)  "  Thou  shalt  not  die  "  ;  (v)  "  The 
Lord  sat  as  King  at  the  Flood "  ;  (w)  "  The  host  was 
secure";  (x)  "But  little  lower  than  God";  (y)  "The 
woman  went  in  her  wisdom " ;  (z)  "  I  shall  be  satis- 
fied."    (26) 

For  Second  Series  of  Questions,  see  p.  309. 


FOURTH   TERM. 

The  Days  of  Solomon 

The  Chosen  Nation  Centre  of  an  Empire. 
The  First  Temple. 


b.c.  1018—915. 

2  Sam.  XXIII.  1-7,  XXIV.,  1  Kings  I— XVI.  28,  1  Chron. 
XXL— XXIX.  2  Chron.  I. —XVI.  Song  of  Songs,  Proverbs, 
Ecclesiastes,  Psalms  I.,  XXVI,  XXVIII.,  XXX,  XXXVI,  XXXVII, 
XLII,  XLIII,  XLV,  XLIX,  L.,  LXXIL,  LXXIII.,  LXXVII, 
LXXXL,  LXXXII,  LXXXIV,  LXXXVI,  LXXXVIII,  LXXX1X., 
XCL,  CXI,  CXI/.,  CXXVIL,  CXXVIII,  CXXXI,  CXXXII, 
CXXXIII,  CXXXIX,  CXLV.     (123  chapters) 

"Blessed  is  the  man  .  .  .  whose  delight  is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord." 
— Psalm  i.  2. 

13th  MONTH   (29).* 

Psalms  XXXVL,  XXXVIL, 
CXXXIII.  2  Sam.  XXIV. 
1  Chron.  XXL— XXIX.  22. 
Psalms  XXVI.,  XXVIII., 
XXX.,  CXXXIX.,  CXXXI., 
LXXXVI.,  CXLV.  2  Sam. 
XXIII.  1-7.  1  Kings  L— V. 
1  Chron.  XXIX.  23-30.  2  Chron. 
I.,  II.,  Psalms  LXXIL,  XLV. 


[4th  MONTH   (31). 

I  Kings  VI.— IX.  9.  2  Chron. 
III.— VII.  Psalms  CXXXII., 
I.,  CXXVIL,  CXXVIII.,  L., 
LXXXL,  LXXVII.,  LXXXII., 
XLIL,  XLIII.,  LXXXIV. 
1    Kings  IX.  10— X. 


14th  MONTH  Continued. 

2  Chron.  VIII.— IX.  28.  The 
Song  of  Songs. 

15th  MONTH   (31). 
Proverbs. 

1 6th  MONTH    (32). 

1  Kings  XL  2  Chron.  IX. 
29-^1.  Ecclesiastes.  Psalms 
LXXXVIII.,  XLIX.,  LXXIII., 
CXI.,  CXIL,  XCL,  1  Kings 
XII.     1-19.        2       Chron.     X. 

1  Kings      XII.        20— XIV. 

2  Chron.  XL,  XII.  Psalm 
LXXXIX.  1  Kings  XV.  1-8. 
2  Chron.  XIII.  1  Kings  XV. 
9-24.  2  Chron..  XIV.— XVI. 
1  Kings  XV.  25— XVI.  28. 


I.  General  Summary. 

SAUL  had  been  little  more  than  the  pastoral  chief  of  amal- 
gamated tribes,  ruling  Central  Palestine  only.     David 
succeeded  to   a  kingdom   distracted    by   civil    dissensions, 

7* 


GEAERAL  SUMMARY.  79 

without  a  capital,  almost  without  an  army,  but  loosely  knit 
together,  and  everywhere  surrounded  by  powerful  and 
victorious  enemies.  He  founded  an  hereditary  monarchy, 
shaped  its  institutions,  and  left  a  compact  and  united  state, 
not  only  independent  but  powerful,  and  rapidly  rising  to  a 
prosperity  that  had  every  prospect  of  permanence.  His 
kingdom  became  Solomon's  empire,  which  extended  over 
the  whole  territory  promised  to  the  Chosen  Nation.  For 
the  first  and  last  time  it  took  its  place  among  the  great 
powers  of  the  East,  its  history  culminating  just  as  Greek 
history  was  beginning.  We  may  institute  a  threefold  com- 
parison between  this  Hebrew  golden  age  and  England's 
golden  age  under  Elizabeth  and  James   I. 

(a)  Politically.  Just  as  the  old  world  of  the  East  and  the 
new  world  of  the  West  were  thrown  open  to  Elizabethan 
exploration,  and  the  way  was  thus  prepared  for  the 
"  Greater  Britain  "  of  to-day  ;  so  eastern  Ophir  and  western 
Tarshish  were  sought  out  by  Solomon's  subjects,  which 
resulted  in  a  vigorous  foreign  policy,  far-reaching  com- 
mercial enterprise  abroad,  and  wealth  and  splendour 
hitherto  unknown  at  home. 

(b)  Intellectually.  Just  as  the  widened  Elizabethan 
horizon  stimulated  patriotism,  and  nourished  our  greatest 
English  literature  and  earliest  English  research  ;  so  Israel's 
enlarged  knowledge,  new  sympathies,  and  grander  ideals 
found  expression  in  a  profounder  and  more  highly  finished 
literature,  whose  finest  specimens  we  still  have,  and  in  a 
new  interest  in  botany  and  natural  history,  of  which  only 
the  record  survives,  since  it  is  not  the  object  of  Holy  Writ 
to  chronicle  scientific  discovery  of  Nature's  wonders. 

(V)  Religiously.  Just  as  the  outward  ceremonial  of  our 
national  worship  was  reconstructed  in  a  more  spiritual  and 
less  superstitious  form  in  Elizabeth's  days  ;  so  Israel  reared 
an  abode  for  God  as  worthy  as  human  skill  and  lavished 
wealth  could  make  it,  and  Solomon  uttered  Israel's  creed 
in  its  highest  form  at  the  dedication  of  this  long-desired 
House. 

The  main  interest  of  this  period,  unlike  that  of  the  pre- 
ceding, is  ecclesiastical  and  political  rather  than  personal, 
and  its  history  forms  the  most  secular  chapter  of  the  sacred 
record.     Because  the  glory  of  Solomon  was  after  the  fashion 


80  FOURTH  TERM. 

of  this  world  it  passed  away  (i  Cor.  vii.  31),  and  no  story 
is  more  disappointing  than  the  tale  of  how  its  fair  promise 
was  blighted.  There  are  but  three  allusions  to  Solomon  in 
the  New  Testament,  and  they  are  keys  to  his  whole  history. 
He  attained  much,  yet  he  fell  short  of  perfection,  politically, 
in  spite  of  his  splendour  (Matt.  vi.  29)  ;  intellectually,  in 
spite  of  his  wisdom  (Matt.  xii.  42)  ;  religiously,  in  spite  of 
the  noble  fabric  he  reared  (Acts  vii.  47,  48).  Judged  by 
Deut.  xvii.  14-20,  he  violated  every  principle  of  the  Hebrew 
Constitution  ;  and  he  left  an  insecure  throne,  a  discontented 
people,  and  formidable  enemies  upon  his  frontiers. 

On  the  surface,  the  Disruption  that  took  place  imme- 
diately after  his  death  was  due  to  the  thoughtless  self-will 
of  Rehoboam  and  the  revolutionary  ability  of  Jeroboam  ; 
ultimately,  it  was  to  be  traced  to  national  luxury,  pride,  self- 
confidence,  and  godlessness  ;  also  to  Solomon's  impoverish- 
ing lavishness  ;  Egypt's  jealousy  of  Israel's  prosperity  ;  and 
the  revival  of  old  tribal  heartburnings  as  one  result  of 
David's  sin  (2  Sam.  xx.).  Rachel's  children  owned  the  most 
fertile  tracts  of  Palestine ;  Shechem  and  Shiloh,  chief  seats 
hitherto  of  secular  and  religious  greatness  ;  and  the  historic 
cities  of  Jericho,  Gilgal,  Bethel,  and  Ramah.  From  them 
had  sprung  Gideon,  Jephthah,  Ehud,  Jair,  and  Abdon, 
among  the  judges  ;  Deborah  and  (by  birth  though  not 
descent)  Samuel  among  the  prophets ;  Abimelech  and 
Saul,  the  first  kings  ;  Joshua,  Jonathan,  and  Abner.  So 
they  had  always  been  inclined  to  resent  the  domination 
of  Judah  ere  they  broke  into  open  and  final  revolt.  Hence- 
forth we  deal  with  two  struggling  kingdoms,  weak  halves  of 
what  had  once  been  a  strong  whole.  The  lesson  plainly  is 
that  nations  and  individuals  may  miss  an  opportunity  God 
will  not  give  them  again,  if  they  reject  His  counsel  for 
them  (Luke  vii.  30,  R.V. ;  Psalm  lxxxi.   13-16). 

II.  Books  to  be  Read. 
(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  v.) 

This  term  two-thirds  of  our  reading  is  literature,  and 
only  one-third  history.  In  contrast  to  our  Third  Term,  we 
read  a  smaller  number  of  chapters  than  the  average,  because 
that  literature  demands  special   care  and   thought.      The 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  81 

historical  books  we  continue  call  for  no  further  comment. 
For  the  thirty  Psalms  of  this  period,  see  p.  194. 

Three  other  works  depict  in  a  threefold  philosophy  of 
life,  the  development  of  Solomon's  character  and  of  the 
thought  of  his  age. 

The  Song  of  Songs  is  pure  poetry,  idyllic  or  pastoral  as 
regards  its  subject,  and  lyric  and  dramatic  (though  scarcely 
a  drama)  as  regards  its  form.  (If  the  composition  of  the 
Book  of  Job,  the  nearest  approach  to  an  epic  in  the  Bible, 
is  rightly  referred  to  Solomon's  reign,  all  the  three  great 
species  of  poetry  are  represented  in  this  age.)  The  only 
survivor  of  his  1005  songs,  doubtless  the  finest  of  them  all, 
this  Song  pictures  the  brilliant  promise  of  Solomon's  youth. 
It  evidently  describes  ideal  human  love,  and  its  keynote  is 
Love  is  strong,  indestructible,  and  priceless  (2  Cor.  v.  14  ; 
Rom.  viii.  35-7  ;  1  John  iv.  10,  11).  It  has  been  variously 
explained,  but  the  following  summary  of  its  purport  is  at 
once  reasonable  and  widely  accepted  : — 

The  scene  of  i.  2 — iii.  5,  and  of  viii.  5-14,  is  laid  in  a 
wooded  district  of  Northern  Palestine,  where  Solomon  is 
spending  part  of  the  summer  in  tents  ;  the  scene  of  iii.  6 — 
viii.  4  is  the  royal  palace  at  Jerusalem.  There  are  two  chief 
speakers  and  three  choruses — viz.,  Shelomoh  or  Solomon 
(1  Chron.  xxii.  9),  the  King  of  Israel  ;  Shulammith,  a  village 
maiden  of  Northern  Palestine,  whom  he  woos  in  the  guise 
of  a  shepherd  ;  Chorus  of  young  men,  his  companions 
(iii.  6- 11);  Chorus  of  virgins,  her  companions  (i.  2-4,  i.  8, 
i.  11,  v.  9,  vi.  1,  vi.  10,  vi.  13,  vii.  1-5,  viii.  5  a) ;  Chorus  of 
Shulammith's  brothers  (viii.  8,  9).  The  King's  13  speeches 
are  the  following:  i.  9,  10,  i.  15,  i.  17,  ii.  2,  ii.  7,  iii.  5,  iv. 
1-15,  v.  1,  vi.  4-9,  vii.  6-9,  viii.  4,  viii.  5  b,  viii.  13.  The  rest 
is  uttered  by  the  Bride.  The  alternate  speeches  should  be 
marked  off  before  one  reads  the  poem  in  the  R.V.,  which 
gives  each  a  separate  paragraph.  R.V.  is  to  be  preferred 
throughout  for  this  book. 

First  Canto.  The  King  seeks  and  wins  the  Bride 
and.  brings  her  to  Jerusalem  ("  My  Beloved  is  mine," 
ii.  16). 

(a)  i.  2 — ii.  7.     The  Bride  in  the  King's  pavilion. 

(b)  ii.  8 — iii.  5.     The  Bride's  first  dream. 

(c)  iii.  6 — v.  1.     The  royal  Espousals. 

o 


82  FOURTH  TERM. 

Second  Canto.  The  Bride  seeks  and  finds  the  King 
and  brings  him  to  her  home  ("  I  am  my  Beloved's,"  vi.  3, 
vii.  10). 

(a)  v.  2 — vi.  9.     The  Bride's  second  dream. 

(J?)  vi.  10 — viii.  4.     Homeward  thoughts. 

(c)  viii.  5-14.     The  Return  home. 

For  the  higher  meaning  of  the  whole  poem,  see  p.  89. 

Proverbs  rises  ever  and  anon  into  lofty  flights  of  song, 
but,  as  a  whole,  it  consists  of  gnomic  and  didactic  rather 
than  pure  poetry.  As  the  wisest  sayings  of  Israel's  wisest 
men,  this  book  represents  the  mature  experience  of 
Solomon's  prosperous  middle  life  ;  and  to  its  selection  from 
the  3000  proverbs  uttered  by  Israel's  chief  sage  are  added 
other  terse  apophthegms  from  the  school  which  he  founded. 
Chaps,  xxx.,  xxxi.  are  probably  much  later  than  his  reign, 
but  as  we  cannot  fix  their  date  they  are  best  read  here. 
The  Hebrew  name  of  the  book  includes  both  "  proverb  " 
and  "  parable "  in  its  meaning,  and  was  applied  to  any 
pointed  saying,  especially  if  it  conveyed  its  thought  through 
a  figure.  Its  root  idea  is  that  of  comparison,  putting  this 
and  that  together,  and  noting  their  likeness  and  unlikeness 
that  they  may  illustrate  each  other.  Such  forms  of  instruc- 
tion date  from  an  early  stage  of  civilisation.  The  Greek 
name  of  the  book  is  frequently  used  of  the  parables  of 
Christ,  which  find  their  Old  Testament  counterpart  here. 
Proverbs  is  ethical  rather  than  theological,  guiding  to  action 
as  the  Psalms  guide  to  devotion.  Even  when  religious,  it 
deals  with  the  moral  aspect  of  religion  common  to  all  creeds, 
and  exhorts  to  a  faithful  performance  of  duty  in  all  relations 
of  life,  though  it  speaks  throughout  of  our  conduct  as  it  is 
in  the  sight  of  God.  Hence  in  later  days  it  appealed  more 
directly  to  the  Gentile  mind  than  any  other  Hebrew  book. 
Moreover,  as  its  wisdom  bears  far  more  on  conduct  than  on 
speculation,  it  is  practical  rather  than  philosophical.  Its 
keynote  is  Justice  and  judgment  are  more  acceptable  than 
sacrifice,  xxi.  3  (Matt.  ix.  13,  xxiii.  23  ;  Mark  xii.  32-4). 
The  thought  that  the  fear  of  God,  which  is  the  beginning 
of  wisdom,  is  something  grander  and  wider  than  conformity 
to  any  outward  rites,  is  a  remarkable  one  for  a  book  pro- 
duced in  an  age  which  saw  the  noblest  outcome  of  the 
Ceremonial  Law  in  the  Temple.     Its  sections  are : — 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  83 

(a)  i.  1-6.  Introduction  stating  that  the  aim  of  the  whole 
is  to  answer  the  question  "  What  is  wisdom  ?  " 

(b)  i.  7 — ix.  18.     First  exhortation  concerning  wisdom. 

(c)  x.  1 — xxii.  16.     First  collection  of  400  proverbs. 

(d)  xxii.  17 — xxiv.  22.  Second  exhortation  concerning 
wisdom. 

(e)  xxiv.  23-34.     Some  sayings  of  the  wise. 

(/)  xxv.  1 — xxix.  27.  Second  collection  of  proverbs  made 
under  Hezekiah. 

(g)  xxx.     Prophecy  of  Agur,  son  of  Jakeh. 

(h)  xxxi.     Prophecy  of  Lemuel's  mother. 

In  Ecclesiastes  the  lyric  outburst  which  began  with  the 
Psalms  of  Israel's  foremost  poet  dies  down  into  prose,  yet 
prose  of  a  highly  poetical  cast.  A  period  of  literary 
stagnancy  succeeds.  The  reasons  given  for  assigning  the 
book  to  a  later  age  than  Solomon's  do  not  amount  to  con- 
vincing proofs,  so  we  act  upon  the  time-honoured  view  that 
it  represents  the  repentance  of  his  sorrowful  old  age.  "  Many 
go  through  David's  sins  without  his  repentance,  and 
Solomon's  experiences  without  his  conclusions,  and  these 
are  the  men  who  rail  at  both  "  (Ker).  This  saddest  book 
of  the  Bible  is  often  misunderstood  by  those  who  fail  to 
perceive  in  it  the  utterances  of  two  voices  in  a  single  soul. 
The  lower  voice  is  that  of  the  man  of  the  world,  who  tries 
every  form  of  earthly  pleasure,  base  and  noble,  and  finds 
that  none  can  satisfy  the  heart  of  man  ;  who  goes  the  whole 
round  of  human  speculation  seeking  to  read  the  riddle  of 
the  world  before  he  has  been  chastened  by  submission  and 
elevated  by  trust  in  God.  It  is  a  voice  of  doubt,  sinking 
into  despair,  and  we  have  its  keynote  in  the  phrase  Under 
the  sun,  which  occurs  here  29  times  and  nowhere  else.  The 
higher  voice  is  that  of  a  divinely  taught  man,  who  desires 
to  teach  others  through  his  own  painful  experience.  He 
cannot  solve  all  the  perplexities  of  life,  but  he  can  point  out 
the  path  of  true  blessedness.  Its  keynote  is  God  is  in  heaven, 
ruling  the  whole  earth  and  rewarding  those  who  serve  Him. 
(1  Cor.  xv.  58).     The  sections  of  Ecclesiastes  are  : — 

(a)  i.,  ii.     The  search  after  Happiness  and  its  failure. 

(b)  iii.  1 — vi.  9.     Nature's  harmony  and  man's  discord. 

(c)  vi.  10— viii.  15.     Life  as  a  whole  is  unsatisfying,  yet 
t  shall  be  well  with  the  godly. 


84  FOURTH  TERM. 

(d)  viii.  16 — xii.  14.  The  highest  good  attainable  is 
being  what  God  means  us  to  be. 

Observe  that  in  Proverbs  "  wisdom  "  means  "  piety  "  ;  in 
Ecclesiastes  "  sagacity  "  and  "  knowledge." 

III.  Periods  and  Dates. 

The  dates  for  these  103  years  are  those  given  in  "  Oxford 
Helps."  Some  good  authorities  make  them  one  year  later 
throughout.  Henceforth  a  table  of  Reigns,  which  form 
most  convenient  landmarks,  will  be  given  each  term  for 
constant  reference. 

Observe  that  the  reign  of  David  fills  93  chapters,  that  of 
Solomon  89  chapters  ;  also  that  the  reigns  of  Saul  (1096 — 
1056),  David  (1056 — 1016),  and  Solomon  (1016 — 976)  each 
occupy  40  years  ;  and  that  Asa  was  contemporary  with  al) 
the  first  seven  Kings  of  Israel. 

(1)  B.C.  1018 — 1004  (14  years).      From  the  choice  of  a 

site  for  the  Temple  to  its  Dedication.  The  House 
of  God  that  Solomon  built. 

(a)  1018 — 10 1 6.  David's  Preparation.  Psalms 
xxxvi.,  xxxvii.,  exxxiii. ;  2  Sam.  xxiv. ;  1  Chron. 
xxi. — xxix.  22;  Psalms  xxvi.,  xxviii.,  xxx., 
exxxix.,  exxxi.,  lxxxvi.,  cxlv. ;  2  Sam.  xxiii.  1-7. 

(b)  1016 — 1012.    Solomon's  Preparation.     1  Kings 

i.— v. ;  1  Chron.  xxix.  23-30 ;  2  Chron.  i.,  ii. ; 
Psalms  lxxii.,  xlv. 
(/)  The  Building  and  Dedication  (1012 — 1004), 
1  Kings  vi. — ix.  9 ;  2  Chron.  iii. — vii. ;  Psalms 
exxxii.,  i.,  exxvii.,  exxviii.,  1.,  lxxxi.,  lxxvii., 
lxxxii.,  xlii.,  xliii.,  lxxxiv. 

(2)  B.C.   1004 — 976  (28  years).     From  the  dedication  of 

the  Temple  to  the  revolt  of  the  Ten  Tribes.  The 
Glory  and  Declension  of  Solomon.  1  Kings  ix.  10 — 
x.;  2  Chron.  viii. — ix.  28;  Song  of  Songs;  Proverbs; 
1  Kings  xi. ;  2  Chron.  ix.  29-31;  Ecclesiastes;  Psalms 
lxxxviii.,  xlix.,  lxxiii.,  cxi.,  cxii.,  xci. ;  1  Kings  xii. 
1-19 ;  2  Chron.  x. 

(3)  B.C.  976—955  (21  years).      From  the  revolt  of  the 

Ten  Tribes  to  the  death  of  Jeroboam.  The  religious 
Schism  and  political  Disruption.     1  Kings  xii.  20 — ■ 


GEOGRAPHY.  85 

xiv. ;   2  Chron.   xi.,  xii. ;  Psalm  lxxxix. ;   1  Kings  xv. 
1-8 ;  2  Chron.  xiii. 

(4)  B.C.  955 — 91 5  (40  years).  From  the  death  of  Jeroboam 
to  the  accessions  of  Jehoshaphat  and  Ahab.  The 
Strife  between  Israel  and  Judah.  1  Kings  xv.  9-24 ; 
2  Chron.  xiv. — xvi. ;  1  Kings  xv.  25 — xvi.  28. 

Three  Kings  of  Judah.  Six  Kings  of  Israel 

Rehoboam,  976—959.  Jeroboam  L,  976—955. 

Abijah,  959—956.  Nadab,  955—953- 

Asa,  956— 915.  Baasha,  953— 931. 

Elah,  931—  929. 

Zimri,  seven  days. 

Omri,  929 — 917. 

IV.    Geography. 

(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  Maps  VI.,  VII.,  and  IX., 

and  §  xxxiii.) 

About  the  middle  of  the  mountain  ridge,  or  rather,  high 
uneven  plateau,  which  traverses  Palestine  from  the  Plain  of 
Jezreel  to  the  Desert  of  Paran,  rise  two  hills,  Zion  on  the 
west  (2540  ft.  above  the  sea),  with  the  lower  height  of  Acra 
or  Millo  to  its  north,  and  Moriah  on  the  east  (2435  ft),  with 
the  lower  height  of  Bezetha  to  its  north.  The  Tyropaean 
Valley  divides  them.  They  form  an  almost  impregnable 
natural  fortress  (2 ■Sam.  v.  6,  7,  R.V.  margin;  Psalm  cxxv.  1), 
round  three  sides  of  which  the  deep  ravines  of  Hinnom 
and  Jehoshaphat  or  Kidron  wind  like  a  continuous  natural 
fosse.  Other  mountains  surround  them,  of  which  the  chief 
is  Olivet  (2724  ft),  "  the  mount  before  Jerusalem  "  (1  Kings 
xi.  7).  The  climate  of  this  high  region  is  more  healthy, 
equable,  and  temperate  than  that  of  any  other  part  of 
Palestine.  Upon  these  twin  hills,  the  "  rock  of  the  plain 
or  table  land"  (Jer.  xxi.  13),  clusters  the  city  of  Jerusalem, 
"  beautiful  in  elevation  "  (Psalm  xlviii.),  which  God  chose 
for  His  abode.  They  mark  its  twofold  character  as  a 
political  centre  from  the  time  when  David  set  up  his  throne 
on  "  Zion  "  (which  means  "  the  sunny  mount "),  and  as  a 
religious  centre  from  the  day  the  Temple  rose  on  "  Moriah  " 


86  FOURTH  TERM. 

(which  means  "the  mount  provided  by  Jehovah").  After 
the  Disruption,  and  still  more  after  the  Babylonian  Captivity, 
when  little  was  left  of  corporate  national  life,  it  was  Moriah 
rather  than  Zion  that  formed  Israel's  focus. 

Jerusalem  at  its  largest  in  the  days  of  Agrippawas  rather 
more  than  four  miles  in  circumference.  If  we  set  aside  the 
probable  but  not  certain  identification  of  it  with  the  Salem 
of  Gen.  xiv.  18,  and  the  Moriah  of  Gen.  xxii.  2,  we  find  first 
mention  of  it  in  Josh.  xv.  8,  and  the  first  incident  in  its 
history  was,  like  the  last,  a  destructive  siege  (Judg.  i.  8  ; 
Luke  xix.  43,  44).  In  the  sixteen  centuries  between  its 
capture  by  Judah  and  its  capture  by  Hadrian,  it  was  besieged 
at  least  25  times  and  twice  razed  to  the  ground.  No  other 
city  has  had  such  a  fate.  David  chose  it  for  his  seat 
of  government,  as  strong,  central  (Ezek.  v.  5),  brilliantly 
captured,  and  common  property  of  Judah  and  Benjamin. 
Judah's  capital  henceforth,  like  Judah's  dynasty,  was  un- 
changed. It  surpassed  every  other  city  both  in  its  glory 
and  its  humiliation.  For  ere  human  sin  and  Divine  love 
found  their  lowest  and  highest  exemplifications  there  (Rev. 
xi.  8)  it  had  been  at  once  the  Holy  City,  Ariel  ("  the  hearth 
of  God,"  Isa.  xxix.  1,  R.V.),  and  the  unholy  city,  shrine 
of  foul  and  horrid  idols.  The  old  Jebusite  worships  clung 
to  its  soil,  and  were  never  thoroughly  rooted  up.  So  at 
the  base  of  Mount  Zion,  which  has  given  a  name  to  heaven 
(Heb.  xii.  22),  lay  Gi-hinnom  (in  Greek,  Gehenna),  that 
defiled  valley  where  ever-burning  fires  consumed  the  refuse 
of  the  city  (Isa.  xxx.  33,  R.V.  margin),  whose  name  the 
Jews  borrowed  for  hell  (Mark  ix.  43,  R.V.). 

V.  Heroes. 

Keynote,  Solomon,  1  Cor.  i.  19,  20. 

A  number  of  men  of  unusual  power  and  influence  for 
good  or  evil  had  made  David's  age,  and  he  was  greatest 
among  the  great.  The  calm  prosperity  of  his  latter  days 
and  of  his  son's  reign  moulded  no  such  grand  characters 
as  those  which  had  made  the  building  of  the  Temple 
possible.  Of  the  men  who  first  worshipped  in  it,  Solomon 
only  stands  out  in  bold  relief  during  an  age  notable  for  its 
works  rather  than  its  heroes.     No  one  occupies  so  large  a 


HEROES.  87 

space  in  sacred  history  of  whom  we  have  so  few  personal 
details.  He  seems  to  have  inherited  the  beauty  and  fascina- 
tion of  both  his  parents,  and  some  of  his  rare  sagacity  may 
be  traced  to  Ahithophel  (2  Sam.  xii.  24,  xi.  3,  xxiii.  34). 
His  great  intellectual  powers  were  strenuously  cultivated 
with  a  view  to  his  filling  the  post  of  heir  (1  Kings  i.  30) 
left  vacant  by  Absalom's  death  when  he  was  about  ten 
years  old.  David  had  united  the  genius  of  a  poet  and  the 
insight  of  a  prophet  with  the  prudence  of  a  man  of  action. 
In  Solomon  we  see  a  new  intellectual  type  (1  Kings  ii.  6,  9, 
v.  7).  He  was  the  first  of  "  the  wise  "  of  whom  we  often 
read  hereafter  (Prov.  i.  6  ;  Isa.  xxix.  14  ;  Jer.  xviii.  18).  The 
wisdom  he  sought  and  obtained  of  God  was  that  of  Ecclesi- 
astes  rather  than  of  Proverbs,  and  was  displayed  in  the 
administration  of  justice  (1  Kings  iii.  28  ;  Prov.  xxix.  4,  14, 
xxv.  5),  and  in  ardent  pursuit  of  knowledge  (1  Kings  iv. 
29-34).  Finally,  God  was  with  him  (1  Kings  i.  37,  iii.  28  ; 
1  Chron.  xxii.  11,  16,  xxviii.  20;  2  Chron.  i.  1),  took  him 
for  His  own  son  (2  Sam.  vii.  14 ;  1  Chron.  xvii.  13,  xxii.  10, 
xxviii.  6),  and  gave  him  a  great  work  to  do. 

Such  were  the  gifts  and  privileges  of  Solomon.  Never 
had  earthly  glory  and  human  wisdom  a  greater  opportunity, 
never  was  their  insufficiency  for  man's  goodness  and  happi- 
ness more  strikingly  shown.  He  and  his  people  instead  of 
influencing  their  heathen  neighbours  were  influenced  by 
them.  Like  that  other  brilliant  young  man  for  whom 
Christ  longed  (Mark  x.  21),  Solomon  loved  the  world  more 
than  he  loved  God.  He  knew  the  good,  and  chose  the 
evil.  He  expounded  a  father's  duties,  and  apparently 
spoiled  his  own  son  ;  he  painted  ideal  marriage  (Prov.  v. 
18,  19),  and  crowded  his  harem  with  foreign  women  against 
whose  wiles  his  wisdom  was  as  powerless  as  Samson's 
strength  (Neh.  xiii.  26).  He  preached  justice,  yet  practised 
oppression  (1  Kings  xii.  4).  He  was  sagacious  and  equit- 
able, yet  he  actually  thought  to  thwart  God's  purposes  by 
slaying  his  appointed  successor.  With  one  hand  he  reared 
the  Temple  of  the  God  of  Israel ;  with  the  other,  pursuing 
an  unlawful,  short-sighted,  and  disastrous  policy  of  tolera- 
tion, he  raised  long-enduring  altars  (2  Kings  xxiii.  13)  for 
the  shameful  worship  of  the  Phoenician  Ashtoreth,  the  cruel 
worship  of  the  Ammonite  Molech,  and  even  for  that  worship 


88  FOURTH   TERM. 

of  the  Moabite  Chemosh  or  Baalpeor  whose  terrible  punish- 
ment in  the  wilderness  (Num.  xxv.)  ought  to  have  made 
its  revival  impossible  (2  Cor.  vi.  16).  We  will  not  add  one 
to  the  divers  speculations  as  to  the  final  destiny  of  this 
man  who  sinned  against  so  much  light,  but  we  note  that 
the  utterances  of  his  God-given  wisdom  are  not  shut  out 
from  the  Book  of  God  because  his  crime  was  as  great  as 
his  genius,  nor  was  his  dynasty  supplanted  because  he  had 
done  his  best  to  throw  away  a  rare  heritage  of  loyalty. 
Heir  to  a  kingdom  whose  strength  depended  upon  its 
unity,  and  whose  unity  depended  upon  its  faith,  he  had 
made  shipwreck  of  both.  We  speak  of  the  trial  of  adversity. 
It  was  prosperity  which  led  even  a  David  astray  and  which 
destroyed  a  Solomon  (see  Ecclus.  xlvii.  12-23). 


VI.  The  Coming  Messiah. 

"  One  greater  than  the  Temple  is  here.  .  .  .  A  greater 
tlian  Solomon  is  here!' — Matt.  xii.  6,  42. 

As  the  militant  kingdom  of  Christ  in  the  present  is 
typified  by  the  reign  of  David,  so  the  triumphant  kingdom 
of  Christ  in  the  future  is  typified  by  the  reign  of  Solomon 
(Isa.  xi.,  xxxii. ;  Rev.  xix.  16),  the  peaceful  king  whom 
God  called  His  son,  who  ruled  Israel,  and  extended  his 
dominion  over  the  heathen  ;  the  wise  prophet,  who  taught 
the  fear  of  the  Lord  ;  the  priestly  prince  who  offered  prayer 
for  his  people,  who  entered  the  Temple  Court  with  sacrifices 
(2  Chron.  viii.  12,  13),  and  even  burned  incense  in  the  Holy 
Place  (1  Kings  ix.  25) ;  who  also  performed  the  highest 
sacerdotal  act  in  solemnly  blessing  the  people  (2  Chron.  vi.  3). 
The  Psalms  which  celebrate  his  glory  are  only  entirely 
true  of  the  one  Son  of  David  who  fulfilled  all  the  con- 
ditions of  God's  covenant  with  him  (Luke  i.  32),  and  so 
realised  the  ideal  not  realised  by  Solomon,  and  obtained 
God's  infallible  (Num.  xxiii.  19)  promises  to  David  and 
his  seed,  which  Psalm  lxxxix.  reiterates,  in  order  to  point 
the  mournful  contrast  between  what  might  have  been  and 
what  was. 

Of  direct  Prediction  our  period  contains  little.  Under 
the   secularising   spell    of  Solomon's    reign,   Israel's   great 


GODS  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF  TO  MAN         89 

Hope  was  in  abeyance.  The  Jewish  Talmud  regarded  the 
Song  of  Songs  as  an  allegory  of  the  dealings  of  Jehovah 
with  Israel,  and  Christian  theology  has  from  very  early 
times  found  a  key  to  it  in  Eph.  v.  25-32,  and  expounded 
it  of  Christ  as  the  Bridegroom  of  the  Church  (not  of  the 
individual  soul,  that  is  only  the  unscriptural  fancy  of  un- 
wise mystics).  While  we  learn  from  it  what  His  love  is, 
and  what  our  devotion  to  Him  should  be,  we  must  beware 
of  fantastic  application  of  details,  for  the  colouring  is  local 
and  Oriental  throughout  Canto  I.  typifies  His  First 
Coming  to  dwell  with  us  (Psalm  cxxxvi.  23  ;  2  Chron.  vi.  18  ; 
John  i.  14)  ;  Canto  II.  typifies  His  Second  Coming  to  take 
us  to  Himself  when  He  has  made  our  earth  His  (Heb. 
ix.  28  ;   1  Thess.  iv.  17). 

The  Rabbis  referred  Prov.  x.  25  to  the  Messiah  (Isa. 
xxviii.  16),  and  it  is  impossible  not  to  see  ultimate  reference 
to  truths  yet  to  be  revealed  in  Prov.  xxx.  4  (Col.  i.  13-19 ; 
1  Cor.  i.  24  ;  John  i.  1-4),  and  in  Prov.  viii.,  which  anticipates 
the  doctrine  of  the  Incarnation  by  teaching  that  the  Wisdom 
of  God  dwelt  with  men  (1  Cor.  i.  30;  Col.  ii.  3). 

VII.    God's  Revelation  of  Himself  to  Man. 

Jehovah,  El  Shaddai,  and  Jehovah  Sabaoth  had  expressed 
God's  Eternity,  God's  Omnipotence,  and  "the  Majesty  of 
His  Glory."  Solomon's  Dedicatory  Prayer  is  far  in  advance 
of  its  age  in  its  intensely  spiritual  apprehension  of  His 
Infinitude  and  in  placing  Prayer  above  Sacrifice.  The 
profounder  thought  of  this  period,  ever  looking  within, 
recognising  that  the  external  things  of  life  are  not  its 
most  important  things,  and  uttering  itself  in  the  Sapiental 
Books  of  Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes,  and  perhaps  Job,  found  rest 
in  apprehending  God's  Wisdom  (Prov.  viii.)  and  God's 
Holiness.  He  is  first  spoken  of  as  the  Holy  One  in  Job 
vi.  10  ;  Prov.  ix.  io(R.V),  xxx.  3  (R.V.) ;  Psalm  lxxviii.  41, 
lxxxix.  18  (the  word  used  in  Deut.  xxxiii.  8  and  Psalm 
xvi.  10  is  different).  This  name,  occurring  very  often  in 
the  prophets  of  later  times,  reminds  us  of  that  threefold 
assertion  three  times  over  of  God's  holiness,  which  may 
be  directly  connected  with  the  doctrine  of  the  Three  in  One 
(Psalm  xcix.  3,  5,  9,  R.V. ;  Isa.  vi.  3  ;  Rev.  iv.  8). 


9o  FOURTH  TERM. 

VIII.    Man's  Relation  to  God  in  Worship. 

At  Solomon's  accession,  Zion  and  Gibeon  were  both 
centres  of  national  worship.  This  dual  system  ended  when 
Solomon  had  spent  y\  years  in  carrying  out  the  plan 
David  received  (as  Moses  received  the  plan  of  the  Taber- 
nacle) from  God  Himself.  His  Temple  only  existed  34 
years  in  its  original  splendour,  but  Israel's  history  ramifies 
from  it  as  a  centre  henceforth.  The  boundary  between 
Judah  and  Benjamin  passed  through  it.  So  it  belonged 
to  no  one  tribe,  but  was  for  the  whole  nation  forum,  fortress, 
sanctuary,  and  university. 

Imagine  a  massive  stone  building  about  45  ft.  high, 
cased  in  cedar  without,  so  that  it  resembled  a  log  house, 
and  overlaid  with  gold  within,  so  that  it  shone  like  the  sun, 
in  three  divisions,  (a)  The  Porch,  15  ft.  deep  and  180  ft. 
high,  supported  upon  two  pillars  of  richly  ornamented 
capitals,  and  hung  with  shields  (2  Chron.  xxiii.  9).  In  every 
view  of  the  Holy  City,  this  must  have  been  the  most  con- 
spicuous object.  (J?)  The  Holy  Place  (60  ft.  by  30  ft.),  where 
the  priests  ministered.  It  contained  the  Table  and  Altar 
of  Incense,  and  was  lighted  by  ten  lamps.  Round  it 
clustered  30  small  chambers  in  three  stories,  forming  three 
terraces,  and,  seen  from  without,  not  unlike  the  side  aisles 
of  a  church,  (c)  The  Holy  of  Holies  (30  ft.  square),  where 
only  the  high  priest  ministered.  It  contained  the  Ark 
with  its  guardian  Cherubim,  and  was  dark  save  for  the 
Shechinah.  Outside  this  structure  was  the  Court  (612  ft. 
square),  where  the  people  worshipped  round  the  great 
Brazen  Altar,  which  stood  on  the  natural  surface  of  the 
rock,  once  Araunah's  threshing  floor.  The  irregular  mass 
of  that  rock  may  still  be  seen  beneath  the  Kubbet  es 
Sakhra  (miscalled  "  the  Mosque  of  Omar  "),  together  with 
some  of  the  mighty  and  highly  finished  masonry  of 
Solomon's  outer  wall. 

Solomon's  Temple  differed  (a)  from  the  Tabernacle,  for 
it  exactly  doubled  all  its  dimensions,  and  was  far  more  per- 
manent and  splendid  ;  (J?)  from  Herod's  Temple,  whose 
area  was  1000  ft.  square,  in  being  smaller  and  more 
primitive,  and  in  having  no  separate  courts  for  Gentiles  and 
for  women  ;  (c)  from  Pagan  Temples,  in  that  it  contained 


QUESTIONS.  91 

no  statue  or  sacred  animal  to  represent  the  indwelling 
divinity ;  (d)  from  Christian  sanctuaries,  in  that  it  was 
smaller  than  many  parish  churches,  in  that  its  holiest 
place  was  at  the  west  end,  and  in  that  it  was  intended 
only  for  the  priests,  and  surrounded,  not  by  a  quiet  cloister, 
but  by  a  court  crowded  with  sacrificing  priests,  worshipping 
people,  sheep,  and  oxen. 

Observe  that  when  the  externals  of  public  worship  were 
most  sumptuous  and  imposing,  the  most  flagrant  example 
of  apostasy  in  high  places  was  given. 

The  national  unity  so  recently  achieved  has  been  broken 
up  for  ever.  That  portion  which  has  Ephraim  for  its  leader 
(Hosea  xiii.  I,  R.V.)  and  Samaria  for  its  capital  has  already 
departed  from  the  true  worship,  and  is  ready  to  depart  from 
the  true  faith.  Its  history  will  be  our  chief  subject  next 
term,  while  Judah,  its  more  faithful  and  longer-lived  rival, 
will  occupy  us  wholly  during  our  Sixth  Term.  How  the 
Ten  Tribes  differed  from  the  Two  in  character,  position, 
and  destiny  must  be  our  first  consideration. 

IX.    Questions. 
(See  pp.  13,  18.) 

[Questions  I.,  V.,  XV.,  XVII.,  XXI.,  XXIV,  XXVII.,  and  XXX.  may 
be  answered  with  the  help  of  any  books.] 

I.  How  did  David  sin  in  numbering  the  people?     (10.) 

II.  Show  that  David  and  his  people  endured  each  of  the 
calamities  specified  in  1  Chron.  xxi.  12.     (6.) 

III.  (a)  God  loved  Solomon  ;  (J?)  Solomon  loved  God  ; 
(c)  God  loved  Solomon's  people  ;  (d)  Solomon's  people 
served  God.  Give  one  reference  for  each  of  these  asser- 
tions.    (4.) 

IV.  Name  the  two  tribes  that  furnished  architects  for 
the  Tabernacle  and  the  Temple.  What  allusions  to  the 
Tabernacle  are  there  in  the  history  of  Solomon  ?     (6.) 

V.  Draw  a  ground  plan  of  Solomon's  Temple.     (15.) 

VI.  Consider  Solomon's  Prayer  of  Dedication  as  a 
prophecy  of  Israel's  future  history.     (10.) 

VII.  What  was  the  only  recorded  conquest  of  Solomon's 
reign  ?  What  three  incidents  of  Bathsheba's  life  are 
recorded  in  this  term's  reading?     (4.) 


92  FOURTH  TERM. 

VIII.  Describe  the  condition  of  the  original  inhabitants 
of  Palestine  during  Solomon's  reign.     (6.) 

IX.  Give  a  brief  account  of  the  three  occasions  on  which 
God  spoke  to  Solomon.     (6.) 

X.  Consider  Solomon  as  a  type  of  Christ.     (15.) 

XL  Does  the  name  of  God  occur  in  the  Song  of  Songs  ? 
Give  four  New  Testament  references  to  justify  the  Christian 
allegorical  interpretation  of  the  Song  of  Songs.     (6.) 

XII.  Illustrate  by  two  examples  from  Scripture  history 
the  truth  of  each  of  the  following  sayings  : — Prov.  i.  7, 
i.  32,  iii.  6,  v.  22,  ix.  8,  x.  24,  xi.  2,  xi.  10,  xi.  21,  xii.  19, 
xiv.  32,  xv.  1.     (24.) 

XIII.  What  may  we  learn  from  Proverbs  as  to  the  right 
and  as  to  wrong  use  of  the  lips  ?  Give  twelve  references 
on  each  subject.     (12.) 

XIV.  Prove  that  the  teaching  of  the  Incarnate  Wisdom 
of  God  was  anticipated  by  the  teaching  of  Wisdom  in  the 
Book  of  Proverbs,  by  writing  out  short  Gospel  parallels  to 
as  many  passages  as  you  can  in  Prov.  i. — ix.     (30.) 

XV.  Show  that  "  Under  the  sun  "  is  a  key  to  Ecclesi- 
astes, by  proving  from  other  passages  of  Scripture  that 
the  following  statements  are  not  absolutely  true  in  them- 
selves, but  only  relatively  true  from  the  speaker's  point 
of  view  : — Eccles.  i.  4,  i.  8,  i.  9,  10,  i.  15,  ii.  II,  ii.  16,  iii.  19, 
vi.  8,  viii.  15,  ix.  5.     (20.) 

XVI.  Find  nine  allusions  to  a  life  beyond  the  grave  in 
Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes,  and  the  Psalms  read  this  term.     (9.) 

XVII.  Briefly  explain  the  allusions  or  metaphors  in  the 
following  passages: — 1  Kings  i.  5  ;  Cant.  i.  5,  ii.  5  ;  Prov. 
iii.  20,  xxv.  11,  23  ;  Eccles.  xii.  6  ;  Psalm  xlii.  1.    (24.) 

XVIII.  For  each  of  the  following  Psalms  give  two 
references  to  Proverbs,  Job,  or  Ecclesiastes,  tracing  the 
resemblance  between  the  Psalter  and  the  Sapiental 
Books  : — i.,  xxxvii.,  xlix.,  1.,  lxxiii.,  lxxxviii.,  xci.,  cxi., 
cxii.,  cxxxix.     (20.) 

XIX.  How  often  does  "  vexation  of  spirit "  occur  in 
Ecclesiastes  ?     How  does  R.V.  render  it  ?     (4.) 

XX.  What  allusion  can  you  find  in  the  Psalter  to  the 
office  of  the  Korahites  described  in  1  Chron.  xxvi.  12-19? 

(2.) 

XXI.  Point  out  the  probable  allusions  to  contemporary 


QUESTIONS.  93 

or  earlier  history  in  Psalm  lxxii.  8,  xlv.  12,  cxxxii.  6, 
lxxxi.  5,  7.  Describe  the  probable  occasion  of  Psalm 
lxxxix.     (10.) 

XXII.  What  relation  was  Rehoboam's  favourite  wife  to 
him?     What  do  you  know  about  her?     (5.) 

XXIII.  What  historical  associations  guided  Jeroboam  in 
choosing  Bethel  and  Dan  for  religious  centres?     (10.) 

XXIV.  Show  clearly  what  constituted  "the  sin  of  Jero- 
boam, the  son  of  Nebat."     (9.) 

XXV.  What  king  was  named  as  a  reformer  300  years 
before  he  lived  ?  Mention  another  monarch  named  in 
prophecy  long  before  he  was  born.     (2.) 

XXVI.  Where,  when,  by  whom,  and  with  what  result 
were  the  battles  of  Zemaraim  and  Mareshah  fought  ?     (8.) 

XXVII.  What  do  you  know  of  the  following  places? — 
Cabul,  Ezion-geber,  Gezer,  Gibbethon,  Ophir,  Sheba, 
Tadmor,  Tarshish,  Tirzah.     (27.) 

XXVIII.  What  do  you  know  of  the  following  people? 
— Adoram,  Asaph,  Ethan,  Hadad,  Jonathan  son  of 
Abiathar,  Lemuel,  Rezon,  Tibni.     (16.) 

XXIX.  Make  a  complete  list  of  the  prophets  who  were 
sent  to  Israel  and  Judah  during  this  period.     (14.) 

XXX.  What  allusion  can  you  find  in  the  prophetical 
books  to  (a)  David,  (b)  Solomon's  molten  sea,  (c)  the 
schismatic  worship  at  Bethel,  (d)  the  enmity  between 
Ephraim  and  Judah,  (e)  Omri  ?     (10.) 

XXXI.  Make  a  list  of  the  names  of  God  in  the  Psalms 
of  this  period.     (30.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — (a)  "A  bag 
of  gems  in  a  heap  of  stones."  (J?)  "  The  dance  of  Mahanaim." 
(c)  "  Rest  on  every  side."  (d)  "  The  lamp  of  the  wicked  is 
sin."  (e)  "  They  walk  to  and  fro  in  darkness."  (/)  "  Ex- 
tortion maketh  a  wise  man  foolish."  (g)  "  He  that  uttereth 
a  slander  is  a  fool."  (/i)  "  He  abhorreth  not  evil."  (z)  "  The 
way  of  him  that  is  laden  with  guilt  is  exceeding  crooked." 
(»  "  Death  shall  be  their  shepherd."  (k)  "  Weary  not 
thyself  to  be  rich.''  (/)  "  Follow  after  faithfulness." 
{m)  "  Let  thy  garments  be  always  white."  (;z)  "  Of  thine 
own  have  we  given  Thee."  (0)  "  In  all  labour  there  is 
profit."  (/)  "  Your  work  shall  be  rewarded."  (q)  "  I  was 
by  Him  as  a  master  workman."     (r)  "  He  shall  have  pity 


94  FOURTH  TERM. 

on  the  poor  and  needy."  (s)  "  Then  they  will  be  thy 
servants  for  ever."  (J)  "  A  man  is  tried  by  his  praise." 
(u)  "  It  was  brought  about  of  God."  (v)  "  The  early  rain 
covereth  it  with  blessings."  (w)  "  God  seeketh  again  that 
which  is  driven  away."  (x)  "  Whoso  offereth  the  sacrifice  of 
thanksgiving  glorifieth  Me."  (jy)  "  She  laugheth  at  the  time 
to  come."  (z)  "  God  hath  set  eternity  in  their  heart."  (26.) 
For  Second  Series  of  Questions,  see  p.  309. 


FIFTH   TERM. 


The  Days  of  the  Prophets.    Decline  and  Fall 
of  the  Kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes. 

b.c.  915—697. 

1  Kings  XVI.  29— XXII. ,  2  Kings  I.— XX,  2  Chron.  XVII— 
XXXII.  Psalms  XXXIII,  XL VI.,  XL VII.,  XLVIII,  LXV, 
LXVL,  LXVII,  LXXV,  LXXVI,  LXXX,  LXXXIII,  LXXXVII. 
Jonah.  Amos.  Hosea.  Joel.  Isaiah  I. — XXXIX.  Micah.  Nahn?n. 
(133  chapters.) 


"Should  not  a  people  seek   unto  their   God? 
the  testimony  !  " — Isa.  viii.  19,  20. 


.  .  To  the  law  and    to 


17th  MONTH   (34). 

1  Kings  XVI.   29— XXII.  49- 

2  Chron.  XVII.— XX.  Psalms 
XXXIIL,  LXXXIIL,  XLVL, 
XLVIL,  XLVIII.  1  Kings 
XXII.  50-53.  2  Kings  I.— 
VIII.  24.  2  Chron.  XXI. 
2  Kings  VIII.  25— IX.  2  Chron. 
XXII.  1-9.  2  Kings  X.,  XL, 
2  Chron.  XXII.  10— XXIII. 
2  Kings  XIL  — XIII.  9. 
2  Chron.  XXIV.  2  Kings  XIII. 
10— XIV.     2  Chron.  XXV. 

18th  MONTH   (33). 

Jonah.  Amos.  Hosea  I. — IV. 
2  Kings   XV    I-12.     2   Chron. 

XXVI.  Joel.  Isa.  VI. 
2  Kings  XV.  13-38.     2  Chron. 

XXVII.  Isa.  II.— V.     2  Kings 
XVI.    2  Chron.  XXVIII. 
Micah  I.,  II.     Isa.  I. 


19th  MONTH   (33). 

Isa.  VII.— X.  4,  XIV.  28-32. 
XXVIII.  2  Kings  XVII., 
XVIII.  9-12.  Hosea  V.— XIV. 
Psalm  LXXX.  2  Kings  XVIII. 
1-8.  2     Chron.      XXIX.— 

XXXI.  Micah  III.  — VII. 
2  Kings  XVIII.  13.     2  Chron. 

XXXII.  1.  Isa.  XXXVI.  1, 
X.  5— XII.  2  Kings  XX.  1-11. 
2  Chron.  XXXII.  24.  Isa. 
XXXVIII.  2  Kings  XX.  12-19. 
2  Chron.  XXXII.  23,  25-31. 
Isa. XXXIX.  PsalmLXXXVII. 
Isa.  XIIL— XIV.  27. 

20th  MONTH  (33). 

Isa.  XV.— XXVII.  Nahum. 
2  Kings  XVIII.  14— XIX., 
XX.  20,21.  2  Chron.  XXXII. 
2-22,  32,  33.  Isa.  XXXVI. 
2-22,  XXXVIL,  XXIX.— 
XXXV.  Psalms  LXXV., 
LXXVI.,  LXV.,  LX  VI.,LXVII 


I.   General  Summary. 

LOOKING  at  the  extent  and  fertility  of  its  territory 
and  its  material  resources,  the  kingdom  of  the  Ten 
Tribes  promised  to  be  greater  and  more  prosperous  than 

95 


96  FIFTH  TERM. 

that  of  the  Two,  which  had  only  half  its  population. 
Looking  at  guarantees  for  political  endurance  and  religious 
welfare,  Judah  had  the  capital  chosen  for  God's  abode 
(Psalm  lxxxvii.  1-3),  the  Temple  with  the  visible  sign 
of  His  presence  (1  Kings  viii.  11),  the  Priests  and  Levites 
(2  Chron.  xi.  13,  14),  the  accumulated  treasure  of  Solomon, 
and  sovereigns  reigning  by  Divine  right 

Nineteen  kings,  of  nine  different  families,  ruled  Israel 
during  255  years.  Nineteen  kings,  all  of  the  House  of 
David,  ruled  Judah  during  388  years.  The  turbulent 
usurpers  who  seized  Israel's  crown  never  gained  that 
stable  power  which  came  naturally  to  the  monarchs  of 
a  long  hereditary  line,  associated  with  Divine  promises  of 
permanence  and  glory.  The  very  smallness  of  Judah's 
kingdom  strengthened  it  by  concentrating  its  interests 
about  one  dynasty  and  one  city. 

Not  one  of  the  kings  who  received  Israel's  allegiance  did 
right  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  ;  and  since  no  worthy  people 
is  ever  ruled  for  centuries  by  unworthy  kings,  this  was  an 
effect  quite  as  much  as  a  cause  of  the  estrangement  from 
God  which  proved  that  nation's  destruction  (Hos.  xiii.  9, 
R.V.).  Seven  of  Judah's  kings  could  be  commended  for 
piety,  and  though  their  people  in  her  last  evil  days  sinned 
as  deeply  against  the  First  Commandment  as  Israel  had 
done,  throughout  her  history  they  kept  the  Second  Com- 
mandment better  (see  p.  55). 

We  must  sometimes  follow  the  common  usage  of  calling 
the  Northern  Kingdom  "  Israel "  (1  Kings  xii.  20),  which 
strictly  includes  too  much  ;  as  "  Ephraim,"  a  frequent  name 
for  it  in  later  prophets,  strictly  includes  too  little.  The 
popular  use  of  the  term  "Jews,"  i.e.,  men  cc  Judah  (a  term 
which  first  occurs  in  2  Kings  xvi.  6),  for  thv.  whole  nation 
before  the  Captivity,  is  misleading. 

The  first  half-century  of  Israel's  history  was  occupied  by 
a  desultory  war  with  Judah,  in  which  Judah  not  only  gained 
the  day,  but  weakened  her  neighbour  until  their  powers 
were  about  equal  (Pro v.  xviii.  19).  This  struggle  was 
followed  by  an  alliance  as  fatal  to  Judah  as  the  war  had 
been  to  Israel,  and  by  a  century  of  peace  till  Amaziah's  rash 
vanity  provoked  fresh  strife,  in  which  Judah  was  worsted. 
The  Syrian  wars,  with  their  varied  fortune,  form  a  back- 


GENERAL  SUMMARY.  97 

ground  to  the  history  of  the  40  years  of  Omri's  dynasty, 
Israel's  king  being  practically  Benhadad's  vassal  at  one 
time  (1  Kings  xx.  2,  3,  34).  The  vigorous  rule  of  Jehu's 
house  for  100  years  raised  Israel  to  her  greatest  prosperity. 
Then  during  her  last  half-century  a  rapid  succession  of 
fierce  soldiers  possessed  themselves  of  the  throne  (Hosea  viiL 
4,  x.  3),  while  her  enemies  closed  about  her.  Palestine  lay 
between  the  great  rival  powers,  Egypt  and  Assyria.  Had 
Israel  and  Judah  been  united  and  faithful  to  God  they  might 
have  withstood  both.  Instead,  we  see  the  miserable  spectacle 
of  Israel  combining  with  Syria  for  a  third  and  last  conflict 
with  Judah,  in  presence  of  their  two  common  foes.  Twenty 
years  later,  Israel's  futile  struggle  against  Assyria  and 
equally  futile  attempts  at  friendship  with  Egypt  ended  in 
her  downfall. 

Assyria's  first  direct  attack  was  in  771  (2  Kings  xv.  19). 
God's  mercy  rather  than  Israel's  merit  had  averted  an 
earlier  one  (2  Kings  xiv.  25-7),  and  deferred  her  fall  for 
a  century  ;  but  in  771  evidently  Israel,  and  possibly  Judah 
also,  was  already  tributary  to  that  all-absorbing  power. 
The  story  of  Israel's  Captivity  is  (like  that  of  Judah's)  in 
three  chapters.  (Compare  the  prediction  uttered  by  Isaiah 
in  742,  Isa.  vii.  8.) 

{a)  740.  Captivity  of  the  Trans-Jordanic  Tribes  and  of 
Galilee,  under  Tiglath-pileser. 

(b)  721.  Fall  and  captivity  of  Samaria  and  its  neigh- 
bours, under  Shalmaneser  IV.  and  Sargon. 

(?)  &77'  Colonisation  of  Samaria  with  Gentiles,  under 
Esar-haddon. 

Judah's  Chronicles  we  have,  but  not  the  corresponding 
volume  for  Israel  (1  Kings  xxii.  39).  So  all  her  history  is 
but  partially  known  to  us,  and  her  ultimate  fate  is  wrapped 
in  still  deeper  obscurity.  Judah  was  restored  and  re- 
established after  her  fall,  but  Samaria  was  left  to  bear  her 
guilt  (Hos.  xiii.  16,  R.V.),  and  her  national  existence  has 
never  been  renewed.  From  the  Chosen  Race,  God  has 
made  a  further  choice  of  Two  Tribes  only.  What  became 
of  the  Ten  ?  Archaeology  has  now  cast  such  a  broad  light 
on  the  lands  of  their  captivity,  that  it  smiles  at  the  popular 
notion  of  them  as  "  lost,"  and  at  all  the  extravagant  specu- 
lations born  of  that  notion.     How  far  they  remained  in  the 

7 


98  FIFTH  TERM. 

lands  they  had  been  deported  to,  were  merged  in  the  neigh- 
bouring Gentiles  (Hosea  ix.  17),  and  maybe  recognised  now 
among  the  gallant  Afghans  who  bear  Hebrew  names  and 
cherish  Hebrew  traditions  ;  and  among  the  Nestorians  by 
Lake  Oroomiah,  who  also  bear  Hebrew  names  and  have 
Hebrew  faces,  speak  a  Syriac  dialect,  retain  many  Mosaic 
observances,  and  reckon  themselves  Israelites  :  how  far  they 
returned  with  their  Jewish  brethren  who  are  spoken  of  as 
::  Israel  "  (Ezek.  xiv.  1  ;  Ezra  x.  1  ;  Zech.  xii.  1),  and  as 
representing  the  Twelve  Tribes  (Ezra  vi.  17  ;  Acts  xxvi.  7) 
after  the  Restoration  (see  also  Ezek.  xxxvii.  16,  17)  :  how 
far  they  can  be  identified  with  the  Samaritans  and  other 
peoples  of  Northern  Palestine  who  spoke  their  language, 
reproduced  their  customs,  claimed  to  be  Israelites  and 
faithful  adherents  of  the  Mosaic  Law,  and  fostered  abiding 
enmity  with  Judah,  and  who  in  the  New  Testament  are 
accounted  strangers  rather  than  Gentiles,  are  matters  on 
which  those  who  have  thought  most  are  least  ready  with 
positive  assertions.  (See  Wilkinson's  "  Israel  My  Glory.") 
We  know  that  there  are  promises  of  blessing  to  Ephraim 
as  distinct  from  Judah  still  unfulfilled.  We  know  that  the 
Messiah,  who  was  born  and  who  died  in  Judah,  chiefly 
lived  and  taught  in  what  had  been  the  Northern  Kingdom, 
among  "the  lost  sheep  of  Israel's  house,"  and  that  the 
witnesses  of  His  Resurrection  and  builders  of  His  Church 
were  "  men  of  Galilee  "  (Acts  i.  1 1,  ii.  7). 

This  lesson  at  any  rate  stands  out  for  all  time  in  the 
prophets  of  Ephraim.  Heartless  luxury,  grasping  dis- 
honesty, violence  and  oppression,  careless  disregard  of 
Divine  laws,  and  self-willed  impiety  ruin  not  only  indivi- 
dual lives,  but  the  corporate  life  of  the  state  whose  welfare 
is  entrusted  to  each  of  its  citizens  (Num.  xxxii.  1 5). 

Reserving  special  consideration  of  Judah  for  next  term, 
we  notice  her  prosperity  under  Jehoshaphat ;  her  depression 
after  his  death  ;  that  most  striking  and  fully  told  episode 
of  her  history  when  the  dynasty  was  barely  saved  from 
extinction  ;  a  century  of  recovery  and  renewed  vigour 
under  three  able  sovereigns,  followed  by  the  disastrous 
reign  of  her  worst  king  ;  and  finally  how  faithful  Hezekiah 
and  Isaiah  saved  her  from  the  false  friendship  of  Egypt, 
and  how  when  the  people's  own  utmost  effort  had  been 


GENERAL  SUMMARY.  99 

made,  God  saved  her  from  the  determined  enmity  of 
Assyria  (2  Chron.  xxxii.  1,  7,  8,  R.V.). 

We  have  reached  an  age  when  there  are  frequent  points 
of  contact  between  sacred  and  secular  history,  and  many 
recently  discovered  monuments  confirm  the  Biblical 
narrative.  See  Prof.  Sayce's  "  Fresh  Light  from  Ancient 
Monuments"  (Religious  Tract  Society,  $s.),  Dr.  Kinns' 
"Graven  in  the  Rock"  (Cassell,  12s.  6d.\  and  the  Bishop 
of  Ossory's  "  Echoes  of  Bible  History  "  (Sunday  School 
Institute,  4$-.). 

Rehoboam's  defeat  by  Shishak  is  pictured  in  the  great 
Egyptian  Temple  of  Karnak.  Ahab  is  named  as  an  ally 
of  Benhadad  on  a  monolith  from  Nimrud  commemorating 
Shalmaneser  I.'s  victories.  Mesha  describes  his  successful 
revolt  from  Israel  on  the  Moabite  stone  now  in  the  Louvre, 
Paris.  Jehu  appears  among  the  tributaries  of  Shalma- 
neser II.  of  Assyria  on  the  famous  obelisk  of  black  basalt 
from  Nimrud.  Uzziah  and  Ahaz  are  mentioned  more  than 
once  on  some  fragments  of  Assyrian  tablets  recording  the 
reign  of  Tiglath-pileser  II.  The  monolith  and  black 
obelisk  may  be  seen  in  the  British  Museum  ;  so  also  may 
the  bas-reliefs  of  Sennacherib  seated  on  his  throne  before 
besieged  Lachish,  his  countenance  defaced  (doubtless  by 
the  sons  who  slew  him)  ;  and  a  cylinder  whereon  he,  telling- 
half  a  story  whose  other  half  he  must  have  wished  for  ever 
untold,  relates  how  he  shut  up  Hezekiah  the  Jew  in 
Jerusalem  as  a  bird  is  shut  up  in  a  cage. 

Of  the  three  offices  associated  with  Israel's  national  and 
religious  life  to  which  men  were  set  apart  by  a  solemn 
anointing  (Lev  viii  ;  1  Sam.  xvi. ;  1  Kings  xix.  16  ;  1  Chron. 
xvi.  22),  which  all  foreshadowed  the  Christ  (John  i.  41, 
R.V.),  we  considered  the  Priestly  in  the  Second,  and  the 
Kingly  in  our  Third  Term.  This  term  the  Prophetic 
claims  our  chief  attention.  Enoch  was  the  first  (Jude  14) 
and  S.  John  the  last  (Rev.  x.  11)  who  "  prophesied."  The 
Seventy  whom  Moses  the  Prophet  chose  anticipated  that 
prophetic  order  (Num.  xi.),  which  actually  dates  from 
Samuel  (Acts  iii.  24)  and  ends  with  Malachi  ;  and  prophets 
first  take  a  leading  part  in  Israel,  a  kingdom  built  up  by 
two  prophets,  Ahijah  and  Shemaiah,  rather  than  in  Judah 
which  still  had  the  regular  priesthood. 


ioo  FIFTH  TERM. 

Etymologically,  the  Greek  work  whence  u  prophet " 
comes  has  this  threefold  significance  :  (a)  Telling  forth, 
teaching  and  preaching,  announcing  God's  will  (2  Chron. 
xxxvi.  15,  16);  (b)  Telling  for,  interpreting  and  expound- 
ing God's  will  (Exod.  vii.  1);  (c)  Fore-telling,  predicting 
future  events,  revealing  God's  will  (1   Peter  i.   10,   n). 

All  this  the  Hebrew  Prophets  did,  and  they  were  at 
once  the  national  poets,  historians,  evangelists,  pastors, 
teachers,  censors  of  morals,  physicians,  patriots,  and  states- 
men ;  often  living  together  and  wearing  a  distinctive  garb 
(Zech.  xiii.  4).  From  every  part  of  the  country,  and  every 
station  in  life,  sometimes  honoured,  sometimes  insulted 
and  persecuted,  they  came  before  men  with  their  great 
commission,  "Thus  saith  Jehovah"  (Deut  xviii.  18;  Jer. 
i.  9)  ;  and  their  simultaneous  rise  in  this  age  was  a  first 
fulfilment  of  Joel  ii.  28,  29.  The  nations  of  whom  they 
wrote  have  passed  away,  but  the  same  types  of  national 
character  still  exist ;  and  if  we  read  their  threatenings  and 
warnings  aright,  we  learn  from  them  the  great  lessons 
which  all  history  has  to  teach  (Prov.  xiv.  34),  and  see  how 
the  whole  course  of  this  world  carries  out  the  purposes  of 
God  (Isa.  xiv.  24-7). 

II.  Books  to  be  Read. 
(See   "Oxford    Helps,"  §  v.) 

This  term  two-thirds  of  our  reading  is  from  the  prophetic 
books,  with  which  we  now  make  our  first  acquaintance. 
These  seven  books  form  the  first  of  the  three  groups  into 
which  the  sixteen  prophets  whose  works  are  preserved  fall. 
An  interval  of  silence  for  half  a  century  during  the  evil 
reign  of  Manasseh  succeeds  them.  They  are  all  written  in 
highly  poetical  prose,  varied  by  occasional  bursts  of  actual 
poetry.  After  each  prophet's  name  and  country,  etc.,  is 
given  the  approximate  date  of  his  prophecy,  the  name 
of  the  people  to  whom  he  was  sent,  and  of  the  king  then 
reigning.     For  the  twelve  Psalms  of  this  period,  see  p.  200. 

Jonah,  son  of  Amittai,  of  Gath-hepher  in  Zebulon, 
Elisha's  successor,  and  also  Elijah's  servant,  if  we  may 
believe  the  ancient  Jewish  tradition  which  finds  him  in 
I  Kings  xvii.  17,  xviii.  43,  and  2  Kings  ix.  4.     (823 — 782. 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  101 

Concerning  Nineveh.  In  the  reign  of  Jeroboam  II.)  His 
keynote  is  Judgment  averted  by  repentance,  which  has  a 
threefold  illustration  in  the  Phoenician  crew,  the  Hebrew 
prophet,  and  the  men  of  Nineveh  (Jer.  xviii.  7,  8  ;  Acts 
x.  35  ;  2  Peter  iii.  9).  He  was  the  first  apostle  of  the  Gentiles, 
the  first  missionary,  and  he  shows  forth  God's  dealings  with 
the  vast  Gentile  world.  We  have  through  him  a  majestic 
revelation  of  God's  wrath  and  pity,  each  bestowed  where 
most  deserved  and  least  expected,  anticipating  Matt.  xx. 
16;  Luke  xv.  31,  32,  xviii.  14.  National  rather  than  per- 
sonal feeling  made  him  grudge  God's  mercy  to  Nineveh, 
and  his  narrowness  was  divinely  rebuked.  For  what  the 
Ninevites  were  called  upon  to  abandon  was  probably  a 
scheme  for  attacking  Israel  (2  Kings  xiv.  25-7).  The 
message  to  them  resembled  that  to  Pharaoh  (Exod.  v.  1  ; 
Psalm  cv.  15),  and  their  conduct  and  its  issue  may  be 
contrasted  with  his.  There  is  no  finer  illustration  of  the 
moral  grandeur  of  true  religion  than  this  solitary  prophet 
of  a  petty  state  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  city  in  the 
world.  Observe  also  that  Jonah,  writing  the  story  of  his 
own  typical  life,  forms  the  link  between  Elijah  and  Elisha, 
uttering  unwritten  prophecy,  and  the  later  authors  of  written 
prophecy. 

Amos,  a  herdsman  of  Tekoa,  in  Judah.  (808 — 782.  Con- 
cerning Israel.  In  the  reign  of  Jeroboam  II.)  While 
Jonah  was  pleading  Israel's  cause  abroad,  Amos  was  in 
direct  conflict  with  her  sins  at  home.  No  prophet  describes 
and  denounces  them  with  more  vigour,  and  Special  punish- 
ments for  special  sins  is  his  keynote  (Heb.  ii.  2  ;  James  iv. 
17).  He  also  foretells  judgments  on  Israel's  immediate 
neighbours,  including  Judah.  Unlike  his  contemporary 
Joel,  he  is  orator  rather  than  poet,  and  he  takes  many 
illustrations  from  his  calling. 

Hosea,  son  of  Beeri,  and,  according  to  tradition,  of  the  tribe 
of  Issachar.  (782 — 721.  Concerning  Israel  and  Judah.  In 
the  reigns  of  Jeroboam  II.,  Jotham,  and  Ahaz.)  Gods  know- 
ledge of  us,  the  knowledge  that  we  may  have  and  that 
Israel  refused  to  have  of  Him  is  the  keynote  (Luke  xix.  44  ; 
John  xvii.  3)  of  "  the  Jeremiah  of  Israel,"  contemporary  of 
her  last  seven  kings,  through  whom  God  uttered  His  last 
gracious,  pitiful,  and  urgent  pleadings  with  the  incorrigible 


102  FIFTH  TERM. 

nation.  He  is  the  first,  but  not  the  last,  prophet  whose 
personal  history  is  made  a  symbol  to  his  countrymen 
(Hos.  xii.  10),  and  he  and  Amos  together  enable  us  to 
expand  the  historian's  brief  statement  that  "  Israel  did 
evil."  Through  them  also  we  can  picture  the  gathering 
calamities  of  her  last  days  :  drought  and  failing  harvests 
(Hos.  ii.  9  ;  Amos  iv.  7-9,  i.  2),  plague  (Amos  iv.  10), 
earthquake  (Amos  iii.  14,  15,  ix.  1),  eclipse  (Amos  viii.  9), 
and  the  gradual  approach  of  the  Assyrian  host  (Amos  i. 
2-15,  vi.  14,  vii.  17,  ix.  7-10;  Hos.  v.  13,  x.  6;  Isa.  v. 
26-30).  There  are  nine  brief  allusions  to  Judah,  and  no 
predictions  concerning  the  Gentiles.  The  close  of  this 
sorrowful  book  is  lighted  by  a  promise  of  future  restoration. 

Joel,  son  of  Pethuel,  according  to  an  uncertain  tradition 
a  Reubenite.  (808 — 790.  Concerning  Judah.  In  the  reign 
of  Uzziah.)  Conjecture  as  to  his  date  ranges  from  Jeho- 
shaphat  to  Josiah,  but  most  probably  he  lived  in  the  reign 
of  Uzziah,  and  was  the  earliest  prophet  of  Judah.  His 
abrupt  and  direct  address,  whose  vigorous  diction  and 
impassioned  fervour  place  it  high  in  Hebrew  literature, 
marks  the  transition  from  the  earlier  prophets,  whose  deeds 
and  sayings  only  are  recorded,  to  the  later  writers  of 
elaborate  predictions  and  revelations.  The  cry  of  repent- 
ance follozved  by  deliverance  is  his  keynote  (Acts  iii.  19). 
His  book  contains  what  is  probably  the  first  dim  prophecy 
of  the  Assyrian  invasion,  and  the  first  mention  of  the 
Greeks  who  were  destined  to  play  a  part  only  second  to 
that  of  the  Jews  in  moulding  the  world's  future  history. 

Isaiah,  son  of  Amoz,  of  the  house  of  David,  (756 — 697. 
Concerning  Judah.  In  the  reigns  of  Uzziah,  Jotham,  Ahaz, 
and  Hezekiah.)  This  greatest  Old  Testament  prophecy  falls 
into  two  portions,  separated  by  four  chapters  of  history. 

Part  I.,  chaps,  i. — xxxix.  Predictions  directly  referring  to 
the  times  in  which  they  were  written. 

Part  II.,  chaps.  xl.« — lxvi.  Predictions  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  Babylonian  Captivity,  which  we  reserve  therefore  for 
next  term.  Salvation  of  Jehovah  is  the  meaning  of  the 
prophet's  name  (which,  like  those  of  his  sons,  was  symbolical, 
lsa.  viii.  18),  and  the  keynote  of  his  book  (Titus  ii.  11  ; 
Heb.  v.  9).  He  utters  the  first  clear  prediction  of  the 
Babylonian  Captivity  (xxxix.    6,  j)    112    years    before  it 


PERIODS  AND  DATES.  103 

took  place,  and  20  years  after  Ephraim's  captivity  (see 
also  Micah  iv.  10).  He  is  the  chief,  as  Jonah  was  the  first, 
messenger  of  good  tidings  to  the  Gentiles  (Rom.  x.  20), 
and  there  are  nearly  80  quotations  from  him  in  the  New 
Testament,  where  he  is  named  21   times. 

Micah,  of  Moresheth  Gath,  or  of  Mareshah  in  Judah. 
(756—697.  Concerning  Israel  and  Judah.  In  the  reigns 
of  Jotham,  Ahaz,  and  Hezekiah.)  His  threefold  prophecy, 
calling  upon  {a)  all  men,  (b)  Israel  and  Judah,  and  (c)  the 
mountains,  to  hearken,  was  uttered  during  Israel's  destruc- 
tion, and  Judah's  devastation  under  Ahaz  and  restoration 
under  Hezekiah,  Man  sinful  and  justly  pwiished ;  God 
righteous  and  yet  merciful  is  his  keynote  (Rom.  iii.  26), 
and  he  looks  beyond  the  impending  destruction  of  Israel 
into  the  far  future  of  Judah.  Like  Amos,  he  makes  many 
rural  allusions.  He  is  mentioned  by  Jeremiah  (Jer.  xxvi. 
18,  19),  and  quoted  by  Zephaniah  and  Isaiah. 

Nahum,  of  Elkosh  in  Galilee,  or  possibly  born  in  captivity 
at  Alkush  on  the  Tigris.  (726 — 697.  Concerning  Nineveh. 
In  the  reign  of  Hezekiah.)  Conjecture  as  to  his  date 
ranges  from  850  to  the  Restoration,  but  most  probably 
he  wrote  shortly  before  Sennacherib's  invasion.  He  was 
the  last,  as  Ahijah  of  Shiloh  was  the  first,  prophet  of  Israel, 
and  his  prophecy  is  one  sustained  shout  of  wild  exultation 
over  the  fall  of  his  nation's  great  conqueror.  Its  awful 
keynote  is  /  am  against  thee  (James  iv.  4;  Rev.  ii.  16). 
220  years  after  the  judgment  foretold  by  Jonah  had  been 
averted,  100  years  after  the  circumstances  of  its  capture 
and  desolation  had  been  exactly  described  by  Nahum,  i.e.y 
in  606,  Nineveh  was  taken  by  Cyaxares. 

III.  Periods  and  Dates. 

We  divide  these  218  years  into  four  periods,  of  which 
the  last  two  overlap  by  five  years  that  we  may  have  a 
complete  view  of  Hezekiah's  reign.  Isa.  xxxviii.  6,  and 
2  Kings  xx.  13,  compared  with  2  Kings  xviii.  15,  are  among 
several  proofs  that  the  true  order  of  its  events  is  given 
below.  Observe  that  Chronicles  emphasizes  (a),  Isaiah  (c) 
and  (d),  and  Kings  (e). 

Assyrian  records  show  that  the  first  of  the  two  Assyrian 


104  FIFTH  TERM. 

invasions,  that  in  713,  took  place  in  the  reign  of  Sargon 
(Isa.  xx.  1).  Sennacherib  may  have  acted  as  his  lieutenant 
in  it.  Our  information  about  the  Kings  of  Assyria  is 
still  fragmentary,  and  all  their  dates  as  given  below  are 
more  or  less  uncertain.  All  in  italics  are  named  in  Scrip- 
ture. The  table  of  reigns  should  be  before  the  student 
throughout. 

(1)  B.C.  915 — 883  (32  years).  From  the  accessions  of 
Jehoshaphat  and  Ahab  to  those  of  Athaliah  and 
Jehu.  The  Mission  of  Elijah  and  Elisha.  First 
conflict  with  Baalism.  1  Kings  xvi.  29 — xxii.  49; 
2  Chron.  xvii. — xx. ;  Psalms  xxxiii,  lxxxiii.,  xlvi., 
xlvii.,  xlviii. ;  1  Kings  xxii.  50-53  ;  2  Kings  i. — viii.  24  ; 
2  Chron.  xxi. ;  2  Kings  viii.  25 — ix. ;  2  Chron.  xxii.  1-9. 

(2)  B.C.  883 — 770  (113  years).     From  the  accessions  of 

Athaliah  and  Jehu  to  the  death  of  Zechariah.  (The 
readings  carry  us  to  756  in  the  history  of  Judah.) 
Ephraim's  best  days  under  Jehu's  House.  Second 
conflict  with  Baalism.  2  Kings  x.,  xi. ;  2  Chron. 
xxii.  10 — xxiii. ;  2  Kings  xii. — xiii.  9  ;  2  Chron.  xxiv. ; 
2  Kings  xiii.  10 — xiv. ;  2  Chron.  xxv. ;  Jonah ;  Amos ; 
Hosea  i. — iv. ;  2  Kings  xv.  1-12 ;  2  Chron.  xxvi. ;  Joel ; 
Isa.  vi. 

(3)  77° — 721  (49  years).     From  the  death  of  Zechariah 

to  the  Fall  of  Samaria.  Ephraim's  Decline  and  De- 
struction. 2  Kings  xv.  13-38 ;  2  Chron.  xxvii. ;  Isa. 
ii. — v. ;  2  Kings  xvi. ;  2  Chron.  xxviii. ;  Micah  i.,  ii. ; 
Isa.  i.,  vii. — x.  4,  xiv.  28-32,  xxviii. ;  2  Kings  xvii., 
xviii.  9-12  ;  Hosea  v. — iiv. ;  Psalm  lxxx. 

(4)  B.C.  726 — 697  (29  years).     From  the  accession  to  the 

death  of  Hezekiah.  Judatis  Reformation  and  Deliver- 
ance  under  her  greatest  King. 

(a)  The  great  Passover  (726 — 713).    2  Kings  xviii. 

1-8  ;   2  Chron.  xxix.,  xxx.,  xxxi. ;   Micah  iii. — 
viii. 

(b)  The  Invasion  of  Sargon  (713).     2  Kings  xviii. 

13  ;  2  Chron.  xxxii.  1 ;  Isa.  xxxvi.  1,  x.  5 — xii. 

(c)  Hezekiah's  sickness  (712).     2   Kings  xx.  1-11; 

2  Chron.  xxxii.  24 ;  Isa.  xxxviii. 


PERIODS  AND  DATES. 


105 


(d)  The  Babylonian  Embassy  (712 — 701).    2  Kings 

xx.  12-19  ;  2  Chron.  xxxii.  23,  25-31 ;  Isa.  xxxix. ; 
Psalm  lxxxvii. ;  Isa.  xiii. — xiv.  27,  xv. — xxiii. 
(Oracles  concerning  ten  of  Judah's  neighbours.) 
Isa.  xxiv. — xxvii.  (Prophecy  concerning  the 
whole  earth.)     Nahum. 

(e)  The     Invasion    of    Sennacherib    (701 — 697). 

2  Kings  xviii.  14 — xix.,  xx.  20,  21;  2  Chron. 
xxxii.  2-22,  32,  33;  Isa.  xxxvi.  2-22,  xxxvii., 
xxix. — xxxv.  (Prophecies  during  Invasion.) 
Psalms  lxxv.,  lxxvi.,  lxv.,  lxvi.,  lxvii. 


Ten  Sovereigns  of  Judah. 


Jehoshaphat 

Jehoram 

Ahaziah 

Athaliah 

Joash 

Amaziah 

Uzziah    . . . 

Jotham  ... 

Ahaz 

Hezekiah 


915—889 
893—885 
885—883 

883-877 
877-838 
838—808 
808—756 
756—742 
742 — 726 
726 — 697 


Thirteen  Kings  of  Israel. 

Ahab      917—898 

Ahaziah  ...  898 — 897 

Joram    897 — 883 

Jehu       883—855 

Jehoahaz       ...  855 — 838 

Jehoash         ...  838—823 

Jeroboam  II.  823 — 782, 


Interregnum. 


Zechariah 
Shallum 
Menahem 
Pekahiah 
Pekah     ... 


•  77I—770- 

.    One  month. 
..   770 — 761. 
-   76i—759- 

•  759—739- 


Interregnum. 
Hoshea  ...  730 — 721. 


The  last  nine  Kings  of  Assyria. 

Pul       

Tiglath-Pileser  II. 

Shabnaneser  IV. 

S argon 

Sennacherib 

Esarhaddon  I. 

Assur-bani-pal 

Assur-etil-ilani-ukinni. 

Sin-sarra-iskun  (or  Saracus). 


770—? 

745—727 
727 — 722 
722—705 
705—681 
681—668 
670 — 630? 


106  FIFTH   TERM. 

IV.  Geography. 
(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  Maps  VII.,  VIII.,  and  IX.) 

The  kingdom  of  Israel  was  9375  square  miles  in  extent, 
or  a  little  less  than  Yorkshire,  Lancashire,  and  Cumberland. 
Jeroboam  II.  extended  it  from  Hamath  on  the  north  to 
the  Valley  of  Willows,  between  Moab  and  Edom,  on  the 
south.  When  it  broke  up,  large  portions  to  the  east  and 
south-east  of  Jordan  fell  to  Uzziah  (2  Chron.  xxvi.  10). 
The  kingdom  of  Judah  was  3435  square  miles  in  extent, 
or  a  little  less  than  Northumberland,  Durham,  and  West- 
moreland. Besides  Benjamin,  South  Dan  and  Simeon  were 
reckoned  in  it,  but  early  sank  into  insignificance.  Samaria 
was  the  only  city  in  Palestine  created,  like  Alexandria  and 
Constantinople,  by  a  monarch  for  his  capital.  It  clustered 
on  the  side  of  a  long  flat-topped  hill,  rising  in  the  centre 
of  a  wide  basin-shaped  valley,  encircled  by  the  mountains 
of  Ephraim.  Rather  more  than  20  miles  to  the  north-east, 
on  a  hill  gently  swelling  from  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  (the 
Greek  form  of  "  Jezreel "),  beautiful  with  trees  and  springs, 
stood  Jezreel,  "the  Versailles  of  Israel's  Paris." 

With  Jonah  we  embark  for  the  first  time  in  sacred  history 
on  the  Mediterranean,  and  cross  the  desert  to  the  banks 
of  the  Tigris.  Assyria  was  the  oldest  of  those  great 
empires  of  history  of  which  the  British  Empire  is  the 
youngest.  At  its  largest,  its  sway  stretched  from  Ethiopia 
to  India,  and  it  extended  from  the  Halys  and  Mediter- 
ranean on  the  west  to  the  Caspian  Sea  and  the  great  Salt 
Desert  on  the  east,  from  Armenia  on  the  north  to  the 
Persian  Gulf  and  Arabian  Desert  on  the  south.  It  included 
peoples  as  diverse  as  those  in  the  modern  Turkish  Empire, 
and  the  Assyrians  themselves  were  an  amalgam  of  three 
races,  yellow-skinned  Shemites,  dark-skinned  Cushites,  and 
fair-skinned  Chaldeans  of  Mongolian  origin.  Nineveh, 
once  the  chief  centre  of  commerce,  and  the  largest  and 
richest  city  in  the  world,  was  so  utterly  destroyed  that  only 
shapeless  mounds  of  earth  and  rubbish  marked  its  site  until 
Botta,  Layard,  and  others  lifted  its  shroud  of  sand  between 
40  and  50  years  ago.  Since  then  Sir  Henry  Rawlinson 
and    other    archaeologists,    unriddling    the    secret   of    the 


Keynotes 


HEROES.  107 

cuneiform  character,  have  read  on   countless   clay  tablets 
the  story  of  its  remote  past. 

V.  Heroes. 

'Elijah,  Acts  xxvii.  23. 

Elisha,  Gal.  vi.   10. 
Jehoshaphat,  1  Peter  ii.  13,  14. 
jehoiada,  Mai.  ii.  7. 

Hezekiak,  Psalm  cxlvi.  3-5. 
Jsaiak,  Gal.  i.  11,  12. 

The  Kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes  produced  the  grandest 
character  of  this  age,  the  greatest  prophet  since  Moses. 
Elijah,  like  Melchizedek,  is  "  without  father,  without 
mother,  without  genealogy."  The  Rabbis  said  that  in  him 
the  uncompromising  Phinehas  returned  to  earth,  and  for 
centuries  the  Jews  believed  that  he  would  come  again  to 
restore  and  relieve  (John  i.  21).  Improbable  conjecture 
makes  him  a  native  of  Thisbe  in  Naphtali.  He  was  a 
sojourner  among  the  brave  but  rude  shepherds  of  Gilead, 
which  was  to  Jerusalem  and  Samaria  what  the  Scottish 
Highlands  were  to  the  Lowlands  a  century  ago.  Some 
five  or  six  times  he  appeared  among  men,  disappearing 
as  suddenly.  Bold  and  swift  as  David's  Gadite  allies 
(1  Chron.  xii.  8),  stern  and  lofty,  of  fiery  zeal  and  unflinch- 
ing courage,  he  stood  forth  as  a  witness  (a)  For  the  dis- 
established worship  of  Jehovah  ;  his  name  means  "Jehovah 
is  my  God."  (b)  For  the  national  unity,  apparently 
shattered  for  ever  (1  Kings  xviii.  31).  (c)  For  the  moral 
law  (1  Kings  xxi.  20)  trampled  under  foot  by  the  weak 
apostate  Ahab,  who,  not  wholly  without  conscience  but 
wholly  without  resolution,  became  a  tool  in  the  hands  of 
that  most  relentless  and  unscrupulous  of  women  who  was 
the  very  embodiment  of  lawless  paganism  and  the  first 
persecutor  of  the  Church.  The  characteristic  words  after- 
wards adopted  by  his  successor  (1  Kings  xvii.  1,  xviii.  15  ; 
2  Kings  iii.  14,  v.  16  ;  Luke  xxi.  36)  give  us  the  secret 
of  his  power  ;  and  his  short,  urgent  petitions  afford  glimpses 
into  a  life  of  unbroken  communion  with  God.  Lest,  how- 
ever, we  should  feel  only  the  distant  awe  with  which  he 
inspired  his   contemporaries  when   he  came  among  them 


io8  FIFTH  TERM. 

in  the  all-constraining  influence  of  a  divinely  guided  life 
(i  Kings  xviii.  7),  we  are  allowed  to  hear  that  one  un- 
answered prayer  for  death,  wrung  from  him  when,  after 
facing  Ahab  and  850  false  prophets,  he  fled  from  Jezebel, 
mind  and  body  alike  over-wrought  (1  Kings  xix.  3,  R.V. 
margin).  Round  him  the  prophets  rallied  as  they  had  not 
rallied  since  Samuel ;  and  our  next  hero  is  his  successor, 
a  contrast  to  him  at  every  point.  Elijah,  the  prophet 
of  the  desert,  living  with  God  apart  from  men,  the  solitary 
champion  of  truth  (1  Kings  xviii.  22,  xix.  10,  14) 
"  ordained  for  reproofs,  whose  word  burned  like  a  lamp  " 
(Ecclus.  xlviii.  1-11),  who  came  to  denounce  and  destroy, 
to  challenge  the  world's  standards  of  thought  and  action, 
to  rebuke  boldly  and  directly  vain-glorious  luxury  and 
popular  sin,  was  the  type  of  Christ's  Forerunner,  the 
predecessor  of  the  hermit,  the  monk,  the  ascetic,  and  the 
Puritan.  Elisha,  son  of  Shaphat  of  Abel-meholah  in 
Manasseh,  giving  up  considerable  wealth  to  be  the  servant 
of  God  (1  Kings  xix.  19),  dwelling  in  cities  among  men, 
the  life  and  soul  of  the  patriotic  party  (as  Isaiah  and  Micah 
were  later),  the  friend  and  counsellor  and  father  (2  Kings 
vi.  21,  xiii.  14)  of  all  men,  ever  ready  to  comfort  the 
sorrowful  and  succour  the  poor,  is  the  type  of  Christ 
Himself  (Matt.  xi.  18,  19;  Acts  x.  38),  and  thus,  though 
less  in  personal  grandeur,  he  is  greater  because  more 
Christ-like  in  spirit  than  Elijah.  He  was  the  first  Hebrew 
prophet  who  became  an  oracle  and  monitor  of  other 
nations.  His  whole  ministry  covers  65  years,  and  of 
its  last  50  years  there  is  little  record.  Miracles,  mainly 
of  mercy,  are  more  prominent  in  it  than  in  that  of  Elijah. 
No  express  teaching  of  either  is  handed  down,  but  their 
successor  Jonah  begins  the  line  of  literary  prophets. 

Judah's  heroes  this  term  are  two  kings,  one  priest,  and 
one  prophet.  JeJwshapJiat  is  the  most  like  David  in 
character  of  all  her  kings  (2  Chron.  xvii.  3-5  ;  1  Kings 
xxii.  43).  His  zeal  for  God's  law,  his  personal  piety, 
his  righteous  administration  and  vigorous  foreign  policy 
raised  his  kingdom  to  the  highest  point  reached  since  the 
Disruption.  Jehoiada,  who  was  born  in  the  reign  of 
Solomon  and  lived  to  see  eight  sovereigns  of  Judah  and 
eleven    sovereigns    of    Israel,   reared    again   the    stem    of 


HEROES.  109 

David,  when  it  had  been  cut  down  to  the  very  roots.  In 
his  person  the  priesthood  took  a  more  important  place 
than  it  had  ever  done  before,  so  he  is  reckoned  its  second 
as  Aaron  was  its  first  founder.  The  power  thus  gained  it 
never  wholly  lost  afterwards.  Public-spirited  integrity  was 
the  most  noteworthy  characteristic  of  this  faithful  guardian 
of  Church  and  State.  Hezekiah>  whose  character  is  thrown 
into  strong  relief  by  those  of  his  father  and  his  son,  is 
more  unreservedly  commended  than  any  other  king  of 
Judah,  and  no  king  had  a  more  lofty  sense  of  his  mission. 
His  reign  and  its  literature  fills  77  chapters  of  the  Bible. 
Possibly  grandson  of  one  prophet  (2  Chron.  xxvi.  5 ; 
Isa.  viii.  2  ;  2  Kings  xviii.  2),  and  son-in-law  of  another 
(tradition  makes  Hephzibah  Isaiah's  daughter,  2  Kings 
xxi.  1  ;  Isa.  lxii.  4),  he  reigned  during  a  period  of  the 
strongest  prophetic  influence  since  Elijah.  No  sickness  is  so 
pathetically  recorded  in  Scripture  as  that  which  threatened 
to  leave  Judah  without  an  heir  to  the  throne  and  defence- 
less before  the  fell  swoop  of  the  Assyrian.  In  Hezekiah's 
great  reformation  he  cared  equally  for  the  restoration  of 
true  worship  and  the  preservation  of  true  doctrine  (2 
Chron.  xxix.  25  ;  Pro  v.  xxv.  1),  and  sought,  like  David, 
to  gather  all  Israel  about  him  in  the  bond  of  a  common 
faith  (2  Chron.  xxx.  1).  With  one  hand  he  cultivated 
the  arts  of  peace,  and  was,  like  David,  a  poet ;  with  the 
other  he  strengthened  Judah  for  war,  and,  like  David, 
defeated  on  their  own  ground  the  Philistines,  who  in  the 
days  of  Ahaz  had  again  become  formidable  foes  (2  Chron. 
xxviii.  18  ;  2  Kings  xviii.  8).  God  delivered  him  from 
the  power  which  defied  all  human  might,  and  since  he 
guided  the  Jews  through  that  great  crisis  of  their  history 
which  determined  whether  they  would  trust  in  God  or 
in  man,  to  him  Judah  owed  in  no  small  degree  the  con- 
tinuance of  her  existence  for  another  century.  But  by 
his  side  throughout  there  stood  his  trusted  kinsman 
Isaiah,  the  first  Jewish  prophet  of  whom  we  have  personal 
details.  Save  the  facts  named  in  2  Chron.  xxvi.  22,  xxxii, 
20,  32,  and  the  tradition  that  he  was  sawn  asunder  under 
Manasseh  (suffering  martyrdom  for  an  alleged  contra- 
diction between  Exod.  xxxiii.  20  and  Isa.  vi.  1  ;  see  Heb. 
xi.  37),  all   we   know  about  him   is   from   his  own  book. 


no  FIFTH   TERM. 

The  turning-point  of  his  life  was  the  vision  described  in 
Isa.  vi.  Henceforth  the  great  powers  of  intellect,  imagina- 
tion, enthusiasm,  and  will  of  the  young  descendant  of 
David  were  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God  and  his 
country.  For  60  years  he  guided  the  affairs  of  the  nation, 
and  he  has  since  influenced  Christendom  more  than  any 
other  Old  Testament  author  with  the  possible  exception 
of  David.  The  abrupt  and  impassioned  utterances  of  his 
predecessors  gave  place  to  his  magnificent  rhythm  and 
sustained  grandeur  of  expression,  while  at  the  same  time 
his  inspired  genius  uttered  loftiest  thoughts  with  a  direct- 
ness and  simplicity  that  provoked  the  satire  of  the  inflated 
rhetoricians  of  the  age  (Isa.  xxviii.  9-13),  but  won  then 
as  now  many  an  ear  and  heart  to  attend  to  the  things 
of  God. 

VI.  The  Coming  Messiah. 

"  This  is  of  a  truth  the  Prophet?     "Isaiah  .  .  .saw  His 
glory  and  spake  of  Htm." — John  vi.  14,  xii.  41. 

Three  successive  prophets  present  to  us  one  complete 
Type  of  Christ.  The  two  greatest  Old  Testament  miracles 
are  the  raising  of  the  poor  Gentile's  son  by  Elijah,  and  the 
raising  of  the  rich  Israelite's  son  by  Elisha.  The  story  of 
Elijah's  Assumption  is  the  grandest  Old  Testament  asser- 
tion that  for  the  righteous  departure  from  this  life  is  gain, 
and  though  Elisha  died  like  other  men,  "after  his  death 
(to  quote  the  Apocrypha)  his  body  prophesied "  (Ecclus. 
xlviii.  13).  These  miracles  were  typical  of  that  moral  resur- 
rection from  Israel's  darkest  days  which  made  her  pros- 
perity under  Jeroboam  II.  possible.  But  also,  together 
with  the  story  of  Jonah,  whose  meaning  Christ  Himself 
expounded,  they  foreshadow  the  ascension,  resurrectioni  and 
death  of  Him  who  is  the  Life  (1  Cor.  xv.  22). 

Types  we  have  often  met  with  already,  but  (always 
excepting  the  Psalms)  Predictions  have  been  few,  brief, 
and  isolated  hitherto.  Now  in  the  Days  of  the  Prophets, 
when  the  hopes  first  raised  by  the  Hebrew  monarchy  are 
fast  waning,  we  discern,  according  to  the  fine  metaphor  of 
Delitzsch,  one  star  of  promise  describing  a  path  from  above 
downwards — "  Jehovah  will  come  to  save  His  people  and 


THE   COMING  MESSIAH.  in 

reign  for  ever  "  ;  and  another  describing  a  path  from  below 
upwards — "  The  anointed  Son  of  David,  greater  than  David 
himself,  will  reign  over  a  regenerate  Israel."  The  first 
promise  found  a  preliminary  fulfilment  in  the  Restoration 
as  we  shall  see,  the  second  in  Hezekiah.  But  we  cannot 
examine  them  carefully  without  perceiving  that  they  ulti- 
mately involve  a  more  personal  coming  and  a  more  extended 
reign  of  the  Lord,  and  that  the  kingdom  of  David's  Son 
would  be  more  than  earthly  and  human.  The  kingship  no 
less  than  the  priesthood  of  the  Old  Covenant  made  nothing 
perfect.  It  is  when  these  two  stars  merge  in  one  light  that 
the  twilight  of  the  Old  Testament  vanishes  before  the 
glorious  day  of  the  Gospel. 

There  are  two  more  allusions  to  the  Promise  to  David 
in  the  historical  books,  2  Kings  viii.  1952  Chron.  xxi.  7. 

Nahum  is  the  only  one  of  the  16  prophetical  books  that 
contains  no  clear  Messianic  reference.  The  following 
summary  of  those  in  this  term's  Prophets  are  explained 
(like  those  in  the  Psalms)  by  New  Testament  references. 

(1)  Joel  ii.  28-32;  Acts  ii.  16-21  ;  Rom.  x.  12,  13. 

(2)  Joel  iii.  2  ;  Matt.  xxv.  31-46. 

(3)  Amos  viii.  9,  10  ;  Luke  xxiii.  44,  45,  48. 

(4)  Amos  ix.  11-15  ;  Acts  xv.  15-18. 

(5)  Hosea  iii.  5  ;  Matt.  xxi.  9 ;  John  i.  49. 

(6)  Hosea  vi.  2  ;   1  Cor.  xv.  4  ;  Matt.  xx.  17-19. 

(7)  Hosea  xi.  1  ;  Matt.  ii.  15,  20. 

(8)  Hosea  xiii.  14  ;  Heb.  ii.  14  ;   1  Cor.  xv.  54. 

(9)  Micah  iv.  1-7  ;  Luke  i.  33  ;  xxiv.  47  ;  Rev.  xxi.  24. 

(10)  Micah  v.  1  ;  Matt,  xxvii.  30. 

(11)  Micah  v.  2-5  ;  Matt.  ii.  I,  5,  6 ;  Eph.  ii.  14. 

(12)  Micah  vii.  20;  Luke  i.  68-75. 

Isaiah  has  been  called  "  the  Gospel  Prophet  "  and  "  the 
Fifth  Evangelist."  Six  of  the  16  prophecies  in  chapters 
i. — xxxix.  are  directly  quoted  in  the  New  Testament. 

(13)  Isa.  ii.  2-4  ;  Rev.  xi.  15. 

(14)  Isa.  iv.  2-6;  Matt.  xi.  28;  Rev.  vii.  15  (R.V.). 

(15)  Isa.  vi.  13  ;  Gal.  iii.  16. 

(16)  Isa.  vii.  14-16  ;  Matt.  i.  22,  23  ;  John  iv.  34. 

(17)  Isa.  viii.  14  ;  Matt.  xxi.  42-4  ;   1  Peter  ii.  8. 

(18)  Isa.    ix.    1-7;  Matt.    iv.    14-16;  Luke   ii.     II,    32; 

Heb.  i.  8. 


112  FIFTH  TERM. 

(19)  Isa.  x.  27  ;  Acts  x.  38. 

(20)  Isa.  xi.,  xii.  ;  Acts  xiii.  22,  23  ;  Rom.  xv.  12. 

(21)  Isa.  xiii.  12  ;   1  Peter  ii.  7. 

(22)  Isa.  xvi.  5  ;  Luke  i.  32. 

(23)  Isa.  xxiv.  23  ;  Matt.  xix.  28. 

(24)  Isa.  xxv.  6-8  ;   1  Cor.  xv.  54-7  ;  Rev.  xxi.  4. 

(25)  Isa.  xxviii.  16  ;  Matt.  xxi.  42  ;  Rom.  ix.  32,  x.  11. 

(26)  Isa.  xxix.  18-24  5  Luke  vii.  22  ;  John.  iii.  2. 

(27)  Isa.  xxxii. ;  Rom.  xiv.  17  ;  Acts  ii. 

(28)  Isa.  xxxv.  ;  Matt.  xi.  5  ;  John  xiv.  6, 

VII.  God's  Revelation  of  Himself  to  Man. 

On  the  spot  where  Moses  had  been  taught  "the  Old 
Testament  Creed  "  (Exod.  xxxiv.  5-7)  Elijah  received  a 
still  higher  revelation  of  God.  More  than  in  the  wind 
which  drove  the  Red  Sea  before  it ;  more  than  in  the 
earthquake  which  shattered  the  walls  of  Jericho  ;  more 
than  in  the  answering  fire  on  Mount  Carmel,  God  is  to  be 
heard  in  the  voice  of  His  Word  (John  i.  14,  18),  and 
"  declares  His  almighty  power  most  chiefly  in  showing 
mercy  and  pity."  Elijah  was  also  taught  then  to  dis- 
criminate from  that  Israel  of  the  Called  who  had  aposta- 
tised, an  Israel  of  the  Chosen  (Matt.  xxii.  16),  who  held 
and  preserved  invincible  truth.  This  doctrine  of  a  Rem- 
nant (Rom.  xi.  1-5),  of  an  Invisible  Church,  first  enunciated 
to  him,  was  further  developed  by  Isaiah  (Isa.  vi.  13,  x.  20,  21, 
xi.  11,  16,  xxviii.  5,  lxv.  8,  9),  and  so  passed  into  the 
New  Testament.  Isaiah  also  was  privileged  to  hear  (as 
S.  John  heard  850  years  later)  echoes  of  the  adoration 
offered  by  the  unfallen  company  of  heaven  to  the  Holy, 
Blessed,  and  Glorious  Trinity.  (With  Isa.  vi.  1,  3,  8,  com- 
pare John  xii.  36,  41  ;  Acts  xxviii.  25,  26  ;  Rev.  iv.). 

Each  of  the  Prophets  conveys  some  characteristic  revela- 
tion. "  God  of  Heaven,"  which  became  common  when  the 
Restoration  brought  Jew  and  Gentile  into  a  new  relation, 
is  anticipated  once  in  Jonah.  "Jehovah,"  the  special  name 
under  which  God  made  a  covenant  with  Israel,  occurs  33 
times  in  Joel's  brief  exhortation  to  return  to  Him.  "  God 
of  Hosts"  occurs  nine  times  in  Amos,  and  only  once  else- 
where, i.e.y  in  the  contemporary  Psalm  lxxx.     In  Hosea  (the 


MAN'S  RELATION  TO   GOD  IN  WORSHIP.  113 

Old  Testament  exemplification  of  the  wondrous  Divine 
yearning  over  man  which  culminates  in  Luke  xix.  41)  the 
Lord  not  only  declares  Himself  the  Saviour  and  invites  Israel 
to  call  Him  "  my  God,"  but  in  the  term  "  Ishi "  uses  a  yet 
tenderer  metaphor,  occurring  again  in  Jeremiah's  last  plead- 
ings with  Judah  (Hos.  ii.  16;  Jer.  iii.  14).  The  God  of 
Vengeance,  described  in  MicaJi  i.  2-4,  and  Nahum  i.  2-6, 
may  be  contrasted  with  the  God  of  Nature,  described  in 
Amos  iv.  13,  v.  8,  9,  ix.  6.  Isaiah  contains  at  least  40  names 
of  God,  some  peculiar  to  himself,  some  having  striking  New 
Testament  parallels.  He  speaks  of  "  the  Holy  One  "  about 
30  times,  and  of  the  "  Lord  of  Hosts  "  about  twice  as  often. 

VIII.    Man's  Relation  to  God  in  Worship. 

From  the  earliest  times  there  had  been  High  Places  all 
over  the  land  of  Israel :  that  is,  altars  on  which  oil,  honey, 
flour,  incense,  and  sometimes  animals  were  offered  to  God. 
They  were  sanctioned  by  the  Patriarchs,  by  Samuel  and 
Elijah,  and  by  some  of  the  most  pious  kinjs,  notwithstand- 
ing Lev.  xvii.  8,  9,  and  Deut.  xii.  10-27  ;  but  at  last  Hezekiah 
removed  them,  for  exactly  the  same  reason  that  our  Re- 
formers swept  away  many  mediaeval  usages,  originally 
devout  in  intention,  but  inseparably  connected  at  length 
with  error  and  superstition.  Two  of  these  High  Places 
became  centres  of  idolatrous  and  schismatic  worship  of  the 
True  God  under  Jeroboam  I.,  who  led  Ephraim  at  its  worst, 
as  Joshua  had  led  it  at  its  best.  His  great  sin  led  to  the 
far  greater  sin  of  Ahab,  who  disestablished  the  worship  of 
Jehovah  in  favour  of  the  worship  of  Baal  and  Ashtoreth  or 
Astarte,  Phoenician  gods  whose  counterparts  are  easily 
recognised  in  every  other  heathen  system.  Solomon  had 
already  reared  altars  to  them,  and  their  worship  is  named 
among:  the  sins  of  Israel's  last  days  2  King  xvii.  16. 
(Asherah  denotes  Ashtoreth's  wooden  symbol.)  But  only 
for  one  evil  period  of  34  years  (917 — 883)  did  Ephraim 
offend  in  Baal  (Hos.  xiii.  1)  to  the  extent  of  constituting 
Baalism  the  state  religion.  Jehu,  who  combined  the  furious 
zeal  of  the  fanatic  with  the  cold-hearted  remorselessness 
of  the  scheming  politician,  made  a  partial  reformation, 
but   there   was  no   one  to    re-construct  the   true   worship 

8 


H4  FIFTH  TERM. 

when  he  had  destroyed  the  false,  and  neither  he  nor  any  one 
of  the  son  of  Nebat's  successors  was  free  from  his  sin  of 
idolatry.  Not  arbitrary  favour  for  Judah,  but  Israel's 
persistent  sin  accounts  for  the  different  fates  of  the  two 
kingdoms  (Hos.  xi.  12). 

In  Judah  we  read  of  seven  Apostasies  of  king  and 
people,  and  of  four  Reformations,  the  full  consideration  of 
which  we  reserve  for  next  term.  Israel's  day  of  grace  is 
gone,  her  vine  is  "  burned  with  fire  and  cut  down."  Will 
Judah,  newly  reformed  and  delivered,  learn  once  for  all  the 
lessons  of  her  sister's  fall  ? 

IX.    Questions. 
(See  pp.  13,  18.) 

[Questions  XV.,  XXII.,  XXIII.,  XXIV.,  and  XXV.  may  be  answered  with 
the  help  of  any  books.] 

I.  Name  the  successive  capitals  of  Northern  Palestine 
from  1426  to  721.     How  many  capitals  had  Judah?     (8.) 

II.  Mention  the  exact  duration  of  the  drought  foretold 
in  1  Kings  xvii.  1.     (2.) 

III.  Illustrate  1  Kings  xviii.  24  by  quoting  12  previous 
occasions  on  which  God  "  answered  by  fire."     (12.) 

IV.  Can  you  name  any  of  the  7000  spoken  of  in  1  Kings 
xix.  18?     (4.) 

V.  Had  Elijah  any  message  for  the  House  of  David?   (2.) 

VI.  Briefly  discuss  the  character  of  Elijah,  and  point 
out  some  striking  parallels  between  his  life  and  those  of 
Moses  and  our  Lord.     (15.) 

VII.  To  how  many  kings  living  in  her  own  lifetime 
was  Jezebel  nearly  related  ?  Was  Ahab's  marriage  to  her 
sinful  ?     (6.) 

VIII.  "The  Syrian  prophet  said  to  the  King  of  Israel, 
1  Is  thy  servant  a  dog  that  he  should  do  this  thing  ? ' " 
Criticise  the  historical  accuracy  of  this  illustration  in  the 
speech  of  an  English  Cabinet  Minister.     (3.) 

IX.  Make  1  list  of  Elisha's  miracles,  naming  for  each 
a  parallel  or  a  contrast  among  the  miracles  wrought  by  our 
Lord.     Explain  2  Kings  ii.  9.     (16.) 

X.  What  noted  preacher  of  "  total  abstinence "  assisted 
a  royal  reformer  ?     (2.) 


QUESTIONS.  115 

XI.  Name  the  only  subject  buried  in  the  royal  sepulchre 
at  Jerusalem,  giving  the  reason  for  this  special  honour.     (2.) 

XII.  Two  calamities  not  alluded  to  in  Kings  or 
Chronicles  took  place  in  Uzziah's  reign.  One  is  described 
in  a  contemporary  prophet,  the  other  is  mentioned  by  two 
contemporary  prophets,  and  by  a  prophet  250  years  later. 
What  were  they  ?     (4.) 

XIII.  When  and  how  did  the  King  of  Israel  try  to  put 
a  usurper  on  the  throne  of  David  ?     (2.) 

XIV.  (a)  How  many  kings  of  Israel  were  there  ? 
(J?)  Which  had  the  longest  and  which  had  the  shortest 
reign  ?      (c)    Which   founded   the   longest-lived    dynasty  ? 

(d)  Which  took  Jerusalem  ?  (e)  Of  which  only  is  the 
expression  "  all  his  might "  used  ?  (/)  Which  were 
wounded  by  Syrian  bowmen  ?  (g)  Which  died  violent 
deaths?  (Ji)  Name  the  best,  the  worst,  and  the  greatest 
of  them  all.     (16.) 

XV.  Explain  the  following  allusions  in  Hosea  : — (a)  "  The 
blood  of  Jezreel "  ;  (6)  "  The  valley  of  Achor  "  ;  (c)  "  Their 
staff  declareth  "  ;  (d)  "  The  new  moon  shall  devour  them  "  ; 

(e)  "  A  cake  not  turned  "  ;  (J)  "The  wickedness  of  Samaria" ; 
(g)  "  The  calves  of  Bethaven  "  ;  (Ji)  "  The  calves  of  our 
lips  "  ;  (i)  "  Memphis  shall  bury  them."     (18.) 

XVI.  What  allusions  are  there  in  the  prophets  to  the 
fall  of  Samaria  ?     (6.) 

XVII.  Make  a  complete  list  of  the  prophets  sent  to 
Israel  and  Judah  between  915  and  697.     (12.) 

XVIII.  Point  out  the  probable  allusions  to  contem- 
porary or  earlier  history  in  Psalms  xlviii.  7,  lxvi.  6,  lxxvi. 
5,  1 1,  lxxxiii.  5,  9,  11,  lxxxvii.  2.  What  occasioned  Psalms 
xlvi.,  xlvii.,  and  xlviii.  ?  Explain  by  Pentateuch  references 
Psalm  lxxx.  1,  2,  8.     (14.) 

XIX.  Draw  out  a  genealogical  table  of  the  Kings  of 
Judah  down  to  Hezekiah,  showing  their  descent  from 
Solomon  and  relation  to  one  another.     (12.) 

XX.  Make  a  list  of  the  chief  names  of  God  in  the 
prophets  of  this  period.     (32.) 

XXI.  What  allusions  do  they  contain  to  (a)  the  Garden 
of  Eden,  (J?)  Adam,  (V)  Abraham,  (d)  the  destruction  of 
the  Cities  of  the  Plain,  (e)  Jacob,  (/)  Moses,  (g)  Miriam, 
(Ji)    Israel's   sin    at    Shittim,   (z)    Israel's   idolatry   in   the 


n6  FIFTH  TERM. 

wilderness,  (J)  Edom's  conduct  to   Israel,  (k)  the   battle 
of  Bethhoron,  (/)  Gideon's  victories  ?     (15.) 

XXII.  What  does  Isaiah  mean  by  (a)  "the  crown  of 
pride,"  (b)  "  the  valley  of  vision,"  (c)  "  the  rod  of  God's 
anger,"  {d)  "  the  land  of  the  rustling  of  wings,"  (e)  "  the 
wilderness  of  the  sea,"  (/)  "  the  isles  of  the  sea  "  ?     (6.) 

XXIII.  Explain  briefly  the  following  passages  in  Isaiah: 
— (a)  vi.  13,  (6)  vii.  16,  (c)  xiv.  12,  (d)  xvi.  I,  (e)  xxii.  22, 
(/)  xxx.  7,  (^)  xxx.  33,  (^)  xxxiii.  14,  (2)  xxxiv.  16, 
(/)  xxxviii.  12.     (30.) 

XXIV.  Explain  fully  Nahum's  reference  to  "  populous 
No."    (4.) 

XXV.  Give  as  many  instances  as  you  can  of  worship 
being  offered  at  High  Places.     (15.) 

XXVI.  Under  what  names  and  how  often  is  the 
Pentateuch  referred  to  in  Chronicles  ?  What  was  the 
first  instance  after  the  days  of  Moses  of  God's  commands 
being  committed  to  writing  and  regularly  taught  ?     (12.) 

XXVII.  What  took  place  at  Jerusalem  on  the  first 
Sabbath  day  of  which  we  have  a  detailed  account  ?     (2.) 

XXVIII.  What  do  you  know  of  the  following? — 
Amaziah  the  priest,  Azariah  the  priest,  Bidkar,  Gomer, 
Jehosheba,  Mattan,  Shear-jashub,  Shebna,  Zedekiah  son 
of  Chenaanah,  Zichri.     (20.) 

XXIX.  Where,  when,  by  whom,  and  with  what  results 
were  the  following  battles  of  this  period  fought  ? — Aphek, 
Ramoth-Gilead,  Tekoa,  Desert  of  Edom,  Zair,  Valley  of 
Salt,  Beth-shemesh,  Gaza.     (32.) 

XXX.  How  many  New  Testament  allusions  can  you  find 
to  Elijah,  Elisha,  Jezebel,  Uzziah,  Zechariah  son  of  Jehoiada, 
Jonah,  and  Joel  ?  How  many  New  Testament  quotations 
are  there  from  Amos,  Hosea,  Micah,  and  Isaiah  i. — xxxix.  ? 

(40.) 

XXXI.  Illustrate  the  following  passages  from  the  history 
of  this  period  : — James  v.  10  ;  2  Cor.  vii.  10  ;  2  Cor.  vi. 
14-16;  Phil.  iv.  17  ;  Matt.  x.  41.     (10.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — (a)  "The 
grievousness  of  war."  (J?)  "  That  sing  idle  songs."  (c)  "  Swift 
to  do  righteousness."  [d)  "Sudden  destruction  upon  the 
strong."  0)  "The  twilight  that  I  desired."  (/)  "The 
king's  son  shall  reign."     {g)  "  Reproaches  shall  not  depart." 


QUESTIONS.  117 

(h)  "  There  shall  be  no  gloom  to  her  that  was  in  anguish." 
(f)  "  Her  rulers  dearly  love  shame."  (/)  "  Her  pillars  shall 
be  broken  in  pieces."  (k)  "  The  man  of  God  wept." 
(/)  "  Take  your  pleasure  and  be  blind."  {111)  "  His  sin  is 
laid  up  in  store."  (n)  "  Hast  thou  found  me,  O  mine 
enemy  ?  "  (p)  "  Let  the  feasts  come  round."  (/>)  "  Answer 
him  not."  (q)  "  I  fear  the  Lord  from  my  youth."  (V)  "  Be 
Thou  my  surety."  (s)  Our  eyes  are  upon  Thee."  (f)  "  I 
write  My  law  in  ten  thousand  precepts."  (u)  "  The  word  of 
the  Lord  is  with  him."  (v)  "  Every  work  that  he  began  he 
did  with  all  his  heart."  (w)  "Thy  worthies  are  at  rest." 
(x)  "  He  departed  without  being  desired."  (y)  "  They 
became  abominable  like  that  which  they  loved."  (z)  "  Whei> 
he  was  strong  his  heart  was  lifted  up."  (26.) 
For  Second  Series  of  Questions,  see  p.  309 


SIXTH  TERM. 
<> 
The  Days  of  Jeremiah. 
Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Kingdom  of  Judah. 

B.C.   697—588. 


2  Kings  XXL— XXV.,  2  Chron.  XXXIIL— XXXVI.  21.  Psalms 
XLIV,  LXXL,  LXXIV,  LXX/X,  CXXIX,  CXXX.  Isaiah  XL.— 
LXVL,  Zepha7iiah,  Habakknk,  Jeretniah,  Ezekiel  L — XXIV. 
La??ientatio?is}  Obadiah.     (130  chapters.') 


"  All  My  words 
Ezek.  iii.  10. 


receive  in  thine  heart  and  hear  with  thine  ears." — 


23rd  MONTH  (33). 

Ezek.  XIIL— XXIII.  2  Kings 
XXV.  2  Chron.  XXXVI.  17- 
21.  Jer.  XXI.  Ezek.  XXIV. 
Jer.  XXXIV.,  XXXVII., 
XXXII.,  XXX.,  XXXL, 
XXXIIL,  XXXVIII.,  XXXIX. 
15-18.  1-14.  LII.  Psalms 
LXX1V.,  LXXIX.  Lamenta- 
tions. Obadiah.  Jer.  XL., 
XLI. 


21st  MONTH  (33). 

2  Kings  XXI.  2  Chron. 
XXXIIL      2    Kings    XXIL— 

XXIII.  30.  2  Chron.  XXXIV., 
XXXV.  Zephaniah.  Jer.  I.— 
VI.  2  Kings  XXIII.  31-7. 
2  Chron.  XXXVI.  1-5.  Psalm 
XLIV.  Habakkuk.  Jer.  XXVI. 
1-7.  VII.-X.,  XXVI.  8-24,  XL, 
XII.,  XIV— XX. 

22nd  MONTH  (32). 

Jer.  XXIL,    XXIII.     2   Kings 

XXIV.  1-17.  2Chron.XXXVI. 
6-10.  Psalm  LXXL  Jer. 
XLVL— XLIX.    33,    XXXV., 

XXV.  XXXVL,  XLV.,  XIIL 
2  Kings  XXIV.  18-20.  2  Chron. 
XXXVL  11-16.  Jer.  XXIV, 
XXIX.,  XLIX.  34-9,  XXVIL, 
XXVIIL,  L.,  LI.  Ezek.  I.— 
XII. 

I.  General  Summary. 

OUR   story  of  the  newly  delivered   Jewish  Kingdom 
during  its  last  century  is  one  of  unfulfilled  promise 
and  lost  opportunity,  similar  to  the  story  of  ancient  Israel  in 

118 


24th  MONTH  (32). 

Jer.  XLIL— XLIV.  Psalms 
CXXX.,  CXXIX.  Isaiah  XL. 
—LXVL 


GENERAL  SUMMARY.  119 

Psalm  cvi.  12,  13.  It  is  among  those  deep  disappointments 
of  history  that  demand  most  thoughtful  consideration.  The 
fifteen  years  of  life  for  which  Hezekiah  prayed  gave  him 
an  heir  to  whom  the  throne  of  David  owed  its  destruction. 
Of  the  incidents  of  Manasseh's  long  reign  we  know  little  ; 
though  the  Prophets  supply  many  details  about  its  idolatries. 
But  its  terrible  result  is  plainly  stated  in  Jer.  xv.  4,  and 
Jewish  tradition  places  Manasseh  beside  Jeroboam  and 
Ahab  as  having  no  part  in  the  life  to  come.  "  Too  late " 
was  written  on  all  Josiah's  gallant  efforts  ;  and  the  four  weak 
and  wicked  kings  (Isa.  iii.  4,  R.V.)  who  followed  him  were 
mere  puppets  (three  of  them  actual  nominees)  of  the  two 
powers  who  acted  like  two  huge  beasts  of  prey,  seeking  to 
devour  each  other,  but  turning  aside  from  time  to  time  to 
snatch  at  the  frightened  creature  who  crosses  their  path. 
Foolish  Judah  clung  still  to  the  friendship  of  Egypt.  In 
vain  her  later  prophets  denounced  this  treacherous  alliance 
as  Isaiah  had  done.  His  words  (Isa.  xxx.  7,  R.V.)  were 
justified  when  Pharaoh's  feint  of  raising  the  siege  of  Jeru- 
salem ended  in  retirement,  without  a  battle,  leaving  it  to  its 
fate  (Jer.  xxxvii.).  Yet,  when  all  was  over,  they  fled  from 
their  own  ruin  to  Egypt,  in. spite  of  the  warning  that  in  so 
doing  they  would  only  share  her  ruin  (Jer.  xlvi.  17).  For 
Egypt  had  now  a  mightier  rival  than  even  Assyria,  and 
Judah,  after  defying  Sennacherib,  could  only  quail  before 
Nebuchadnezzar.  Nineveh  had  been  taken  in  606  (625 
according  to  some  authorities),  and  on  its  downfall  rose 
the  Babylonian  Empire  which  overthrew,  and  the  Persian 
Empire  which  restored  the  Jewish  State.  Isaiah  had 
strenuously  preached  resistance  to  Assyria.  Jeremiah  as 
strenuously,  but  less  successfully,  advocated  submission  to 
Babylon  as  the  foreordained  conqueror  of  Judah. 

Now,  as  Israel  represents  the  Church,  Dr.  Arnold  takes 
Egypt  to  represent  in  its  milder,  and  Babylon  in  its  darker 
aspect,  that  world  in  which  the  Church  has  to  bear  her 
witness  and  do  her  work.  If  it  is  so,  we  may  find  this  lesson 
here.  Dallying  with  the  world's  better  side  ends  in  destruc- 
tion by  its  worse  side.  They  will  never  win  it  for  God 
who  give  it  the  trust  and  affection  due  to  Him  alone 
(James  iv.  4).  Jeremiah's  policy  may  symbolise  the  teach- 
ing of  Christ,  and  His  practice  in  refusing  to  head  a  nation 


120  SIXTH  TERM. 

of  insurgents  (Matt  v.  39,  xxvi.  52  ;  John  vi.  15,  xviii.  36; 
2  Cor.  x.  4). 

Observe  how  the  Prophets  fill  in  the  historian's  brief 
outline.  They  show  us  Jehoiakim  alarmed  for  once  and 
proclaiming  a  fast  before  the  Lord.  But  when  God's 
gracious  response  is  brought  to  him,  sitting  in  that  luxurious 
palace  whose  builders  are  wrongfully  left  unpaid,  he  defies 
and  destroys  the  written  Word,  and,  in  vain  dependence  on 
his  Egyptian  suzerain,  meets  with  sceptical  effrontery  the 
predictions  about  the  Babylonian  host  that  was  actually 
approaching  his  gates  ;  and  so  we  understand  why  he  is 
omitted  from  S.  Matthew's  genealogy  of  Christ  (Rev. 
xxii.  19),  together  with  the  wicked  son  of  Jezebel's  daughter 
(Psalm  cix.  14),  and  Joash  and  Amaziah,  who  began  well 
but  ended  ill  (Ezek.  xviii.  24).  The  prophets  show  us  also 
the  crooked  intrigues  of  Zedekiah,  and  his  treacherous  folly 
in  making  compacts  on  all  sides  only  to  break  them. 

Such  were  the  last  of  that  grand  line  of  kings  whose 
crown  for  four  and  a  half  centuries  had  passed,  in  a  way 
unparalleled  in  any  other  dynasty,  from  father  to  son  in 
regular  succession  (1  Chron.  iii.  10-16),  without  one  civil  war 
or  one  interregnum,  save  Athaliah's  brief  usurpation 
(1  Kings  xv.  4).  Moreover,  for  250  out  of  388  years  Judah 
had  been  ruled  by  pious  sovereigns,  and  had  enjoyed  unusual 
peace  and  prosperty.  Ere  we  leave  these  kings  of  long 
ago  I  may  help  the  reader  to  think  of  them  as  more  than 
mere  names,  by  suggesting,  from  the  most  familiar  pages  of 
modern  history,  one  or  two  monarchs  whom  they  resembled. 
Compare  for  instance,  David  with  Robert  Bruce,  Solomon 
with  Henry  VIII.,  Rehoboam  with  Ethelred  the  Unready 
(that  is,  "deaf  to  good  advice"),  Asa  with  Edward  III., 
Jehoshaphat  with  David  I.,  Joash  with  Richard  II., 
Amaziah  with  James  IV.,  Hezekiah  with  Alfred  the 
Great,  Josiah  with  Edward  VI.,  and  Jehoiakim  with 
Charles  II. 

From  the  three  sieges  of  Jerusalem,  which  Nebuchad- 
nezzar took  three  times,  date  three  periods  of  seventy 
years  or  ten  Sabbatical  years,  which  it  is  helpful  to 
discriminate. 

(a)  606 — 536.  The  Servitude.  In  605  King  Jehoiakim 
seems  to  have  been  released  and  suffered  to  remain  on  his 


GENERAL  SUMMARY.  I2r 

throne  as  a  tributary  prince,  but  much  of  the  treasure  of 
the  Temple,  several  members  of  the  royal  family,  and 
perhaps  others,  were  carried  off. 

(b)  599 — 529.  The  Exile.  In  599  King  Jeconiah,  with 
the  royal  family,  the  princes,  nobles,  artificers,  and  warriors, 
and  much  Temple  and  palace  treasure,  followed  them  to 
Babylon. 

(V)  588—518.  The  Desolations.  In  588  Judah's  Cap- 
tivity was  completed  by  the  deportation  of  King  Zedekiah, 
the  rest  of  his  people,  and  the  remaining  spoil  of  the 
Temple.  A  wretched  handful  was  left  in  Palestine,  who 
might,  however,  have  become  the  nucleus  for  a  regathering 
of  Israel  without  break  on  their  own  soil.  For  they  were 
taught  by  Jeremiah,  and  ruled  by  the  able  and  generous 
Gedaliah.  The  reckless  violence  of  a  scheming  Jewish 
prince  broke  up  this  little  community,  and  the  Jews  rightly 
regarded  Gedaliah's  assassination  as  a  calamity  great 
enough  to  be  annually  commemorated  by  a  fast  (Zech. 
vii.  5,  viii.  19). 

And  now  the  House  of  God  has  been  sacked ;  the  City 
of  God  has  been  burned ;  His  "  Anointed  "  is  a  mutilated 
prisoner  in  a  foreign  land  ;  prince  and  priest  have  fallen  by 
the  sword,  and  Judah  is  numbered  among  the  nations  no 
longer.  Successive  troops  of  captives  have  been  driven  by 
weary  marches  into  the  Eastern  land,  whence  their  father 
Abraham  was  called  out.  Others  have  found  their  way  as 
fugitives  to  the  Western  land,  whence  God  brought  out  their 
ancestors.  A  yet  greater  catastrophe  calls  forth  their  loudest 
lamentations,  one  which  involves  all  the  rest.  Jehovah, 
who  once  chose  them  and  crowned  them  with  blessings, 
has  now,  after  long  provocation,  cast  them  out  from  His 
Presence  (2  Kings  xxiv.  20,  xiii.  23  ;  Jer.  xxiii.  39).  That 
they  can  ever  be  a  nation  again  is  contrary  to  all  proba- 
bility and  all  analogy.  Against  it  is  the  might  of  the 
vastest  empire  the  world  has  ever  seen,  ruled  by  its  greatest 
conqueror.  Against  it  is  the  fact  that  their  own  wilfulness 
has  rendered  their  destruction  even  more  complete  than  he 
meant  it  to  be ;  and  that  their  moral  and  spiritual  degrada- 
tion seems  past  hope.  But  for  it  there  is  the  promise  of  a 
faithful  God. 


122  SIXTH  TERM. 


II.  Books  to  be  Read. 
(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  v.) 

This  term  more  than  half  our  period  is  represented  by 
only  two  chapters.  For  the  Prophets  supply  yfths  of  our 
reading,  and  they  were  silent  during  the  reigns  of  Manasseh 
and  Amon.  Of  the  six  prophets  who  form  the  second 
group,  we  read  all  save  Daniel,  whose  book  stands  midway 
between  the  second  and  third  group,  as  it  stands  midway 
between  history  and  prophecy. 

For  the  six  Psalms  of  this  period,  see  p.  203. 

Isaiah,  Part  I,  is  a  mixture  of  narrative  and  prediction  : 
its  pulses  throb  with  all  the  hopes  and  fears,  the  terror  and 
defiance  and  exultation  of  the  changeful  age  in  which  it 
was  written.  Isaiah,  Part  II,  is  one  majestic  and  sym- 
metrical poem  in  three  cantos — viz., 

(a)  xl. — xlviii.  Concerning  Cyrus  and  the  restoration 
of  Israel  as  a  nation. 

(b)  xlix. — lvii.  Concerning  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  and 
the  salvation  of  many  nations  through  Him. 

(V)  lviii. — lxvi.  Concerning  Zion's  Light,  through  which 
all  nations  shall  see  God's  glory  and  worship  Him. 

Ruined  Judah  and  desolate  Jerusalem  form  the  fore- 
ground of  its  picture,  though  Isaiah  cannot  long  have 
survived  the  able  and  prosperous  King  who  reconstituted 
the  state  and  fortified  the  capital.  All  the  66  chapters  of 
Isaiah  were  universally  ascribed  to  one  author  until  some 
recent  critics,  observing  this  difference  in  their  points  of 
view,  put  forth  the  theory  that  while  the  son  of  Amoz 
wrote  the  first  Book  of  Denunciation  and  Woe,  the  second 
Book  of  Consolation  was  penned  160  years  later,  by  a 
member  of  the  school  of  prophets  which  Isaiah  founded 
(Isa.  viii.  16),  the  whole  being  called  after  his  name,  as  the 
whole  Psalter  is  called  after  David.  Were  this  proved,  we 
might  still  receive  Isa.  xl. — lxvi.  as  part  of  the  Canon.  But 
it  is  not  proved.  The  literary  argument  from  alleged 
differences  of  vocabulary  and  style  is  far  from  conclusive, 
and  though  prophets  generally  speak  of  the  future  revealed 
to  them  from  the  standpoint  of  the  present,  there  is  no  in- 
superable difficulty  in  conceiving  that  Isaiah  may  have  been 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  123 

inspired  vividly  to  imagine  and  depict  the  Captivity  he  had 
already  foretold.  Eleven  New  Testament  quotations  from 
chaps,  xl. — lxvi.  are  directly  referred  to  Isaiah,  and  no  other 
prophet  capable  of  penning  thoughts  so  high  and  deep  has 
ever  been  heard  of.  Their  author  was  an  incomparably 
greater  man  than  any  man  of  the  Post-Exilian  age  ;  and  had 
he  been  contemporary  with  Ezra,  it  is  inconceivable  that  his 
name  and  personality  should  have  been  wholly  forgotten. 
Minute  study  of  Jeremiah  also  indicates  that  Isa.  xl. — lxvi. 
had  been  already  written.  But  we  recognise  it  as  a  legacy 
to  posterity  rather  than  a  gift  to  contemporaries  (Isa.  xlviii. 
4-7),  and  therefore  read  it  in  connexion  with  the  later  age 
for  which  it  was  no  longer  a  sealed  book  (Dan.  xii.  9). 
Observe  its  frequent  reference  to  "all  nations,"  and  these 
recurring  notes  in  its  glorious  song,  "  Hearken,"  "  Listen," 
"  Keep  silence,"  "  Cry,"  "  Awake,"  "  Remember,"  "  Fear  not." 

Zepha7iiah,  son  of  Cushi,  and  perhaps  great-great-grand- 
son of  King  Hezekiah.  (630 — 610.  Concerning  Judah. 
In  the  reign  of  Josiah.)  His  keynote  is  The  pure  worship 
required  by  God  (Matt.  iv.  10 ;  PhiL  iii.  3),  and  he  predicts 
judgments  and  blessings  for  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews. 

Habakkuk,  probably  a  Levite  if  not  a  priest,  and  one  of 
the  Temple  choir.  (609 — 599?  Concerning  Judah.  In  the 
reign  of  Jehoiakim  ?)  His  keynote  is  Life  by  faith  (Gal. 
ii.  20 ;  Heb.  xi.  6),  and  the  perplexities  which  he  faces  and 
solves  are  those  of  the  individual  soul  rather  than  of  the 
nation.  His  Prayer,  which  recalls  the  finest  lyrics  of  earlier 
times  and  expands  Isa.  1.  10,  is  considered  by  Bishop  Lowth 
u  one  of  the  most  perfect  specimens  of  the  Hebrew  ode."  It 
is  preceded  by  a  dialogue  between  the  Prophet  (i.  2-4,  i.  12 — 
ii.  1)  and  the  Lord  (i.  5-1 1,  ii.  2-20),  concerning  the  approach- 
ing Chaldean  invasion.  That  is  blended  here  with  the 
Scythian  invasion  about  the  middle  of  the  seventh  century 
B.C.,  which  was  the  earliest  recorded  movement  behind  their 
mountain  barrier  in  Asia  of  those  Northern  nomadic  tribes 
who  ultimately  swept  away  the  Roman  Empire  and  built 
up  modern  Europe  on  its  ruins.  (See  p.  140,  and  comp. 
Zeph.  ii.  4-6 ;  Jer.  i.  13-15,  vi.  3-5  ;  Col.  iii.  11.) 

/eremiah,  son  of  Hilkiah  (perhaps  the  high  priest  of  2 
Chron.  xxxiv.),  a  priest  of  Anathoth.  (627 — 588.  Concern- 
ing Judah.    In  the  reigns  of  Josiah,  Jehoiakim,  Jeconiah,  and 


124  SIXTH  TERM. 

Zedekiah.)  Continue  in  sin,  and  it  will  prove  its  own  punish- 
ment ;  Confess,  and  ye  shall  find  mercy  is  his  keynote  (Rom. 
vi.  21  ;  i  John  i.  9).  Like  Nehemiah's  history,  his  prophecy 
is  interspersed  with  short  and  urgent  prayers,  and  charac- 
teristic expressions  recur  again  and  again,  such  as,  "  Lord, 
Thou  knowest "  (xxix.  23,  R.V.),  "  I  swear  by  Myself," 
"The  days  come,"  "Not  a  full  end."  Twice  (xxv.  II, 
xxix.  10)  he  clearly  foretells  the  exact  duration  of  the 
Captivity  which  Isaiah  first  announced  (Dan.  ix.  2).  Isaiah 
soars  like  an  eagle  to  behold  with  undimmed  eye  the  source 
of  light.  Jeremiah  sits  in  shadow  like  a  dove  to  mourn 
over  his  fallen  people  with  infinite  pathos  and  tenderness. 
"  Jeremiah  is  my  favourite  book  now.  It  has  taught  me 
more  than  tongue  can  tell,"  writes  Kingsley  in  1850. 

Obadiah.  (588.  Concerning  Edom.  In  the  reign  of 
Zedekiah.)  Its  resemblance  to  Jer.  xlix.  7-22  ;  Lam.  iv. 
21  ;  Ezek.  xxxv. ;  and  Psalm  cxxxvii.  7  suggests  that  it 
is  of  the  same  period,  and  most  probably  it  was  written 
shortly  before  Nebuchadnezzar's  conquest  of  Edom  in  583. 
Judgment  without  mercy  to  the  merciless  is  its  keynote 
(James  ii.  13).  "It  expresses,"  says  Stanley,  "  the  Divine 
malediction  on  the  sin  most  difficult  to  be  forgiven,  the 
desertion  of  kinsmen  by  kinsmen,  of  friends  by  friends, 
the  readiness  to  take  advantage  of  the  weaker  side, 
hounding  on  the  victorious  party,  and  standing  on  the 
other  side  in  the  day  of  the  sorest  need."  (Comp.  Isa. 
xxxiv.  5.) 

Ezekiel,  son  of  Buzi,  a  priest  carried  captive  in  599,  who 
prophesied  by  the  banks  of  the  Chebar  in  Northern  Meso- 
potamia, 200  miles  from  Babylon,  and  who  is  not  mentioned 
outside  his  own  book.  (594 — 574.  Concerning  Judah.  In 
the  reign  of  Zedekiah.)  Tradition  says  that  he  was  put  to 
death  by  his  fellow-exiles  for  rebuking  their  idolatry.  His 
differs  from  former  prophetical  books  in  being  chronological 
throughout,  for  in  him  the  author  preponderates  over  the 
seer,  the  poet,  and  the  statesman.  His  prose  is,  however, 
always  poetical,  and  the  Dirge  of  the  Kings  (xix.),  the  Lay 
of  the  Sword  (xxi.  8-17),  the  Dirge  of  Tyre  (xxvii.,  xxviii.), 
and  the  Dirge  of  Egypt  (xxxi.,  xxxii.)  are  actual  poetry. 
His  keynote  is  Knowledge  of  God  (a)  by  Israel  (Hos.  ii.  20  ; 
John  iv.  22),  (J?)  by  the  Gentiles  (Isa.  xxvi.  9 ;  Acts  xi.  18 ; 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  125 

Matt  viii.  11);  and  he  develops  more  fully  the  doctrine, 
found  in  germ  in  Jeremiah,  of  the  responsibility  of  the 
individual  soul  as  separate  from  the  collective  nation.  The 
independence  of  man  from  man  is  brought  out  by  such  a 
calamity  as  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  and  no  prophet  teaches 
this  great  moral  lesson  so  simply.  Observe  these  recurring 
phrases  :  "  A  rebellious  house,"  "  I,  the  Lord,  have  spoken 
and  will  do  it,"  "  I  will  recompense  the  sinner's  way  on  his 
own  head."  Of  the  three  parts  into  which  Ezekiel's  book 
falls,  we  read  this  term  only  Part  I.  (chaps,  i. — xxiv.), 
Exhortations  to  Repentance  before  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem. 
Ezekiel  has  been  called  "  the  Old  Testament  Apocalypse," 
and  the  parallels  between  it  and  Revelation  are  very  close 
and  numerous.  Miss  E.  S.  Elliott's  "  Prophecies  of  Jeremiah 
and  Ezekiel"  (Morgan  &  Scott,  6d.)  is  a  helpful  analysis 
of  both  books. 

The  Lamentations  of  Jeremiah,  sixth  and  latest  poetical 
book  of  the  Old  Testament,  was  written,  perhaps  at  Mizpah 
immediately  after  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem.  It  consists  of 
four  independent  acrostics  (see  p.  176),  and  a  concluding 
poem,  not  acrostic,  and  may  be  thus  divided  : — 

I.  (a)  The  Prophet's  Lament,     (i.  1-11.) 

(b)  The  Lament  of  Jerusalem,     (i.  11-22.) 
II.  (a)  The  Prophet's  Lament,     (ii.  1-19.) 
(J?)  The  Lament  of  Jerusalem,     (ii.  20-22.) 

III.  The  Prophets  Personal  Sorrow,     (iii.) 

IV.  (a)  The  Prophet's  Lament,     (iv.  1-16.) 

(b)  The  People's  Lament,     (iv.  17-21.) 

(c)  The  Prophet's  Consolation,     (iv.  22.) 
V.         The  People's  Prayer,     (v.) 

Its  keynote  is  God  chastens  unwillingly  and  only  for  ouf 
good  (2  Cor.  vii.  10  ;  Heb.  xii.  5-1 1).  In  Jewish  synagogues 
it  is  still  recited  every  year  on  the  anniversary  of  the 
Temple's  destruction.  "Never  did  city  suffer  a  more 
miserable  fate,  never  was  ruined  city  lamented  in  language 
so  exquisitely  pathetic"  (Milman).  It  is  probable  that 
Jeremiah  also  wrote  several  of  those  Psalms  of  the  Cap- 
tivity which  succeed,  at  the  interval  of  a  century,  the 
jubilant  Psalms  of  Hezekiah's  reign.  Their  long  wail  best 
expresses  the  woe  of  Judah's  fall. 


126  SIXTH  TERM. 


III.    Periods  and  Dates. 


I  follow  the  common  chronology  as  usual,  but  some  good 
authorities  extend  this  period  of  109  years  to  112  years 
by  placing  Manasseh's  accession  in  698  and  the  Fall  of 
Jerusalem  in  586. 

(1)  B.C.  697 — 640  (57  years).     From  the  death  of  Heze- 

kiah  to  the  accession  of  Josiah.  /udatis  Undoing 
through  Manasseh.     2  Kings  xxi. ;   2   Chron.   xxxiii. 

(2)  B.C.  640 — 606  (34  years).     From  Josiah's  accession  to 

the  First  Siege  of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadnezzar. 
Judah's  last  true  King,  and  First  Subjection,  to 
Egypt.  2  Kings  xxii. — xxiii.  30 ;  2  Chron.  xxxiv., 
xxxv. ;  Zephaniah ;  Jer.  i. — vi.  (Commission,  Expos- 
tulation, and  Vision  of  coming  invasion).  2  Kings 
xxiii.  31-7;  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  1-5;  Psalm  xliv.;  Habakkuk; 
Jer.  xxvi.  1-7,  vii.— x.,  xxvi.  8-24  (Denunciation  in 
the  Temple  Court).  Jer.  xi.,  xii.  (Prophetic  Tour 
and  Conspiracy  against  Jeremiah).  Jer.  xiv. — xvii. 
(the  Drought ;  approaching  Fall  and  Restoration  ; 
the  Sabbath).  Jer.  xviii. — xx.  (the  Potter's  House 
and  Valley  of  Hinnom).  Jer.  xxii.,  xxiii.  (the  Three 
Kings,  the  Rulers,  and  Prophets). 

(3)  B.C.  606 — 599  (7  years).     From  the  First  Siege  to  the 

Second  Capture  of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadnezzar. 
[udatis  Second  Subjection,  to  Babylon.  2  Kings 
xxiv.  1-17 ;  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  6-10 ;  Psalm  lxxi. ;  Jer. 
xlvi. — xlix.  33  (concerning  the  Nations).  Jer.  xxxv. 
(the  Rechabites).  Jer.  xxv.  (the  Cup  of  God's  fury). 
Jer.  xxxvi.,  xlv.  (Jeremiah's  Roll).  Jer.  xiii.  (the 
Journey  to  Euphrates). 

(4)  B.C.  599 — 588  (11  years).     From  the  Second  Capture 

of  Jerusalem  to  its  Third  Capture  and  the  Flight 
into  Egypt.  J  udatis  Destruction  and  Dispersion. 
2  Kings  xxiv.  18-20 ;  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  11-16. 

598.  Jer.  xxiv.,  xxix.,  xlix.  34-9  (Those  taken  and  those 
left.     Elam). 

595.  Jer.  xxvii.,  xxviii.  (the  Yokes.  Hananiah). 
L,  li.  (Babylon). 

594.     Ezek.  i. — vii.  (opening  Visions  and  Signs). 


GEOGRAPHY.  127 

593.     Ezek.  viii. — xix.  (Judah's  Apostasy  and  its  result). 
592.     Ezek.  xx. — xxiii.  (against  the  Elders,  the  Land,  the 
Princes,  the  King,  and  the  Capital). 

590.  2  Kings  xxv.  ;  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  17-21  ;  Jer.  xxi. 
(Zedekiah's  Inquiry  just  before  the  siege  began).  Ezek. 
xxiv.  (Prediction  of  Jerusalem's  Fall).  Jer.  xxxiv.,  xxxvii. 
(last  Offer  of  Mercy  during  a  pause  in  the  siege). 

589.  Jer.  xxxii.,  xxx.,  xxxi.,  xxxiii.  (Promise  of 
Restoration). 

588.  Jer.  xxxviii.,  xxxix.  15-18  (Imprisonment  and 
Rescue  of  Jeremiah).  Jer.  xxxix.  1-14  (the  Fall  of  Jeru- 
salem). Jer.  lii.  (Supplement  to  Jeremiah,  by  another  hand 
probably).  Psalms  lxxiv.,  lxxix ;  Lamentations;  Obadiah ; 
Jer.  xl. — xliv.  (the  Flight  to  Egypt). 
Psalms  cxxx.,  cxxix.  (the  Sorrow). 
Isa.  xl. — lxvi.  (the  Hope). 

Seven  Kings  of  JndaJi. 

Manasseh ...         ...         ...     697 — 642. 

Anion        ...         ...  ..         ...         ...     642 — 640. 

Josiah        ...         ...         ...         ...         ...     640 — 609. 

Jehoahaz   ...  ...  ...  ...         ...     Three  months. 

Jehoiakim  ...         ...         ...         ...     609 — 599. 

Jeconiah    ...         ...         ...         ...         ...     Three  months. 

Zedekiah 599 — 588. 

IV.    Geography. 

(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  Maps  IV.,  VII.,  VIIL,  and  IX.) 

Next  term  we  shall  follow  Judah  into  the  land  of  her 
captivity.  We  now  leave  her  disobedient  remnant,  in 
defiance  of  a  very  ancient  command  (Deut.  xvii.  16),  and 
fulfilment  of  as  ancient  a  prophecy  (Deut.  xxviii.  68), 
forcing  one  of  Israel's  last  great  prophets  back  into  the 
Egypt  from  which  their  first  great  prophet  had  brought 
them  out  (Jer.  xliii.  7).  We  infer  from  Ezekiel,  Jeremiah, 
and  Josephus  that  most  of  these  fugitives  perished  there, 
or  were  carried  to  Babylon  later ;  but  from  that  day  to  this, 
a  Jewish  colony  has  existed  in  Egypt.  250  years  after- 
wards Alexandria  became  a  centre  of  Judaism  only  second 
in  importance  to  Jerusalem  (Acts  ii.  10,  xviii.  24).  The  site 
of  Tahpan/ies,  clearly  an  important  frontier  town  (Jer.  ii. 
16,  xliii.,  xlvi.    14;   Ezek.  xxx.   18),  whither  the  fugitives 


128  SIXTH  TERM. 

went,  long  baffled  inquirers.  Within  the  last  year  or  two, 
Dr.  Flinders  Petrie  has  found,  in  the  lonely  desert  sands 
near  the  mud  swamp  of  Pelusium,  below  a  lofty  mound 
long  known  in  the  Arab  speech  as  "  The  Castle  of  the  Jew's 
daughter,"  the  palace  of  Pharaoh  Hophra,  and  the  court- 
yard where  Jeremiah  hid  "  in  mortar  in  the  brickwork  "  the 
symbols  of  Nebuchadnezzar's  capture  of  this  building.  Its 
newly  uncovered  ruins  tell  plainly  that  the  fiery  destruction 
predicted  for  it  by  the  prophet  came  to  pass. 

V.    Heroes. 

jt  (  Josiah,  Acts  xx.  27. 

\Jeremiahy  2  Cor.  xii.  9. 

Josiah  was  the  only  one  of  Judah's  last  seven  kings  who 
served  the  Lord.  We  blame  Joash  and  Manasseh  the 
more  because  they  were  impious  in  spite  of  their  circum- 
stances. We  admire  Josiah  the  more  because  amid  utterly 
corrupt  princes,  priests,  prophets,  and  people,  he  resolved 
to  serve  God  himself,  and  to  do  all  he  could  to  recall  the 
nation  to  His  service  also.  He  reformed  with  little  support 
and  little  hope,  and  therefore  he  reformed  fiercely  and 
vehemently.  The  sunset  light  of  Judah's  history  plays 
round  him.  and  no  death  in  her  annals  is  so  lamentable  as 
that  of  her  last  royal  hero. 

Hezekiah  had  Isaiah  beside  him  ;  Josiah  had  Jeremiah, 
not  only  able  as  a  prophet  to  proclaim,  in  season,  out  of 
season,  in  palace  and  street,  in  venerated  Temple  and 
abhorred  Gi-hinnom,  the  most  unwelcome  and  unpalatable 
truths  ;  but  also  able  as  a  poet  to  pour  out  the  mournfullest 
of  dirges  over  imprisoned  king,  captive  people,  ruined 
sanctuary,  and  desolate  city,  when  all  had  been  said  in  vain 
More  than  half  our  reading  this  term  is  from  Jeremiah's 
pen  (for  he  was  in  all  probability  editor  of  the  earlier,  and 
author  of  the  later  parts  of  I.,  II.  Kings),  and  he  is  "the 
one  grand  immovable  figure  which  alone  redeems  the 
miserable  downfall  of  his  country  from  triviality  and  shame." 
He  was  the  last  sc  cr  who  was  also  a  statesman  and  coun- 
sellor of  kings.  He  was  the  first  who  uttered  his  inspired 
counsel  in  that  epistolary  form  afterwards  made  so  illus- 
trious  by  S.  Paul.      Like  S.  Paul  also,  we  find  him  the 


HEROES.  129 

centre  and  life  of  a  group  of  devoted  friends  and  faithful 
adherents,  who  were  direct  inheritors  of  the  traditions  of 
Josiah's  reign  ;  such  as  his  brother  Gemariah  ;  his  uncle 
and  aunt  Shallum  and  Huldah,  with  their  son  Hanamel ; 
Delaiah  and  Urijah,  the  sons  of  Shemaiah  ;  Hanan  the  son 
of  Igdaliah  ;  Zephaniah  the  son,  and  Seraiah  and  Baruch 
the  grandsons  of  Maaseiah.  Baruch  was  his  Timothy  and 
his  Tertius,  and  as  the  first  notable  Scribe  who  committed 
God's  word  to  writing,  may  be  regarded  as  the  predecessor 
of  Ezra.  And  Jeremiah,  forbidden  to  seek  the  love  of  wife 
and  child,  needed  the  sympathy  and  affection  of  friends 
not  a  little.  At  once  priest  and  prophet  (a  rare  combina- 
tion), he  could  not,  like  Hosea,  fall  back  upon  Judah, 
though  despairing  of  Israel  ;  he  could  not,  like  Isaiah 
and  Amos,  fall  back  upon  her  prophets,  though  despair- 
ing of  her  priests ;  he  saw  that  priest  and  prophet  were 
alike  corrupt,  and  he  was  called  upon  to  declare  it  (Jer. 
xxiii.  11).  Hence  the  rancorous  hostility  of  both  orders 
to  their  noblest  representative.  Jeremiah  the  priest  was 
excluded  from  the  Temple  (Jer.  xxxvi.  5).  Jeremiah  the 
prophet  was  persistently  traduced  and  persecuted  as  a  liar 
and  traitor  by  the  smooth-tongued  utterers  of  popular 
predictions.  And  his  was  one  of  those  gentle,  sensitive, 
and  highly  strung  souls  for  which  the  trust  and  love  of 
others  is  the  very  breath  of  life.  No  prophet  reveals 
himself  so  clearly  in  his  writings.  By  nature  shy,  timid, 
shrinking,  hesitating,  and  desponding,  suffering  deepest 
sorrow  of  heart  at  seeing  things  as  they  are,  and  called  to 
the  hard  task  of  proving  that  all  Judah  most  relied  upon 
would  avail  her  nothing,  and  of  preaching  submission  and 
repentance  to  a  self-willed  and  hardened  people  bent  on 
resistance  ;  by  God's  grace  and  his  own  manful  resolve,  he 
was  bold,  fearless,  unflinching,  determined,  and  even  hopeful, 
through  that  faith  tried  in  the  fire  which  enabled  him  to 
read  in  the  bright  possibilities  of  the  future  a  balance  for 
the  difficulties  and  distresses  of  the  present.  After  forty 
years  of  courageous  testimony,  he  refused  the  favour  of  the 
greatest  of  monarchs,  and  "  gladly  clung  "  (says  Josephus) 
"  to  the  ruins  of  his  country,  and  to  the  hope  of  living  out 
the  rest  of  his  life  with  its  surviving  relics."  Here  history 
leaves  him  (?  Chron.  xxxv.  25,  xxxvi.  12,  21,  are  the  only 


i3o  SIXTH  TERM. 

Biblical  mentions  of  him  outside  his  own  book),  and  con- 
flicting traditions  speak  of  a  peaceful  end  in  Babylon,  and 
a  death  by  stoning  in  Egypt  at  the  hands  of  his  reprobate 
countrymen.  Afterwards  they  reckoned  him  not  a  whit 
behind  the  very  chiefest  prophets,  and  daily  expected  that 
he,  like  Elijah,  would  return  as  the  restorer  of  Israel  (Matt, 
xvi.  14  ;  John  i.  21). 

VI.  The  Coming  Messiah. 

"  Lord,  dost  thou  at  this  time  restore  tJie  kingdom  to  Israel?  " 

Acts  i.  6. 

Isa.  xl. — lxvi.,  which  may  have  been  penned  during  the 
first  persecution  of  the  true  faith  in  Jerusalem,  contains  the 
greatest  Messianic  Predictions  of  the  Old  Testament.  A 
Messiah  winning  through  much  tribulation  a  kingdom  not 
of  this  world,  is  a  promise  as  appropriate  to  the  age  of 
Judah's  Fall  as  the  promise  of  a  triumphant  and  glorious 
Messiah  was  to  the  age  of  David  and  Solomon.  Isaiah's 
prophecies  were  fulfilled  by  Jews  whose  eyes  were  blinded 
to  this  aspect  of  the  Coming  One.  The  predictions  about 
Cyrus  in  xli.  2,  25-7,  have  an  ultimate  fulfilment  in  Him 
who  was  to  all  mankind  spiritually  what  Cyrus  was  to 
captive  Judah  politically.  There  are  also  nine  great  and 
detailed  predictions,  eight  of  which  are  quoted  in  the  New 
Testament.  Notice  that  the  section  about  "  the  Servant 
of  the  Lord  "  is  followed  by  one  that  speaks  often  of  "  the 
servants  of  the  Lord"  (Rom.  v.  15-19). 

(1)  Isa.  xl.  1- 1 1  ;  Matt.  iii.  ;  John  x. 

(2)  Isa.  xlii. ;  Matt  xii.  17-21  ;  Luke  ii.  32. 

(3)  Isa.  xlix. ;  Acts  iv.  27  (R.V.),  xiii.  47  ;  Phil.  ii.  7. 

(4)  Isa.  1.  4-7 ;  Heb.  v.  8  ;  Matt.  xxvi.  67  ;  John  xvi.  32. 

(5)  Isa.  Hi.  13 — liii.  12  ;  Acts  viii.  27-35. 

(6)  Isa.  lix.  20,  21  ;  Rom.  xi.  26  ;  Matt.  i.  21. 

(7)  Isa.  lx.  1-3  ;  Matt.  ii.  ;  John  viii.  12 ;  Eph.  v.  14. 

(8)  Isa.  lxi.  1-3  ;  Luke  iv.  17-21,  iii.  22  ;  John  xii.  28. 

(9)  Isa.  lxii.  10 — lxiii.  6;  Matt.  xxv.  19,  xxi.  5  ;  2  Thess.  ii. 

(10)  Zeph.  ii.  7  ;  Luke  i.  68. 

(11)  Zeph.  iii.  8-20  ;  John.  i.  49,  iv.  24  ;  Acts  viii.  27-38. 

(12)  Hab.  ii.  3  ;  Heb.  x.  37. 

(13)  Hab.  ii.  14  ;  1  John  ii.  13,  iv.  16,  v.  20. 


GOD'S  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF  TO  MAN       131 

(14)  Hab.  iii.  13  ;  2  Cor.  v.  19  (but  see  R.V.). 

(15)  Jer.  xxiii.  5,  6  ;  Rom.  i.  3  ;   1  Cor.  i.  30. 

(16)  Jer.  xxx.  8,  9,  21,  22  ;  Acts  ii.  29-32  ;  Heb.  ii.  14-17. 

(17)  Jer.  xxxi.  22  ;  Luke  i.  26-35. 

(18)  Jer.  xxxiii.  15-17,  21,22  ;  Acts  xiii.  22,  23 ;  2  Tim.  ii.  8. 

(19)  Obad.  17-21  ;  Rev.  xi.  15-17. 

(20)  Ezek.  xvii.  22-4  ;  Rev.  xxii.  16;  Matt.  xiii.  31,  32. 

(21)  Ezek.  xxi.  27  ;  John  xviii.  36,  37  ;  Matt,  xxviii.  18. 

Lamentations  is  read  both  in  the  English  and  the  Latin 
Church  during  the  week  in  which  we  commemorate  the 
sufferings  of  our  Lord  (Lam.  i.  12). 

Compared  with  Isaiah's,  Jeremiah's  Messianic  predictions 
are  few.  But  through  him  we  hear,  for  the  first  time,  that 
the  Old  Covenant  or  Testament,  which  forms  the  theme  of 
the  first  part  of  the  Bible  and  gives  it  a  name,  was  to  be 
superseded.  Nebuchadnezzar  had  just  re-formed  his  siege 
for  a  final  assault  upon  the  famine-stricken  city,  when 
Jeremiah's  sorrowful  pleadings  and  warnings  gave  place  to 
a  joyous  message  of  blessing  for  Israel's  latter  end  (xxxi. 
31-6).  After  a  dim  presage  of  the  Incarnation  (ver.  22)  he 
passes  to  a  clear  announcement  of  a  New  Covenant,  looking 
more  than  500  years  beyond  the  Restoration  (contrast  Jer. 
xxxi.  32  and  Hag.  ii.  5)  to  that  Upper  Room  (Luke  xxii. 
11,  12  ;  Acts  i.  13,  R.V.,  ii.  1),  which  became  the  birthplace 
of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  in  which  each  of  the  four 
clauses  of  this  Royal  Charter  was  reiterated  and  ratified. 
The  promise  is  fourfold  (see  Heb.  viii.  6-13,  x.  9-18)  : — 

{a)  Remission  of  Sins  (Matt.  xxvi.  27,  28,  R.V.). 

(&)  A  New  Law  (John  xiii.  34,  xiv.  23,  26,  xv.  13,  14). 

(c)  A  New  Relationship  (John  xv.  15,  16,  xvii. 
6,  9,   11). 

(d)  A  New  Fellowship  with  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit 
(John  xiv.  7,  9,  17;  1  John  i.  3,  ii.  20).  See  Miss  Elliott's 
"  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel." 

VII.  God's  Revelation  of  Himself  to  Man. 

Again  we  note  characteristic  revelations  in  the  Prophets 
of  our  period.  Twice  over  from  Isaiah  we  learn  (Isa.  xiii. 
8,  xlviii.  11)  that  the  glory  of  God  can  be  shared  by  no 
other  being.  Yet  in  Isa.  ix.  6,  7  (as  in  Micah  v.  2,  4  ; 
Psalm  xiv.  6,  7,  ex.  ;  and  Jer.  xxiii.  5,  6),  two  Divine  and 


132  SIXTH  TERM. 

Eternal  Beings  are  spoken  of;  and  in  Isa.  xlviii.  16,  lxi.  1-3 
we  have  still  plainer  pre-Christian  enumeration  of  the  Co- 
eternal  Three  who  ever  live  and  reign  One  God.  Zephaniah, 
the  earliest  of  the  group  of  prophets  whose  great  theme 
will  be  God's  judgment,  seen  in  the  convulsion  and  over- 
throw of  all  the  kingdoms  of  that  age,  proclaims  that  He 
is  righteous  (iii.  5).  Habakkuk  humbly  adores  Him  as  the 
mysterious  and  awful  Holy  One  (i.  12,  13,  ii.  20).  JeremiaJi 
delivers  the  terrible  message  recalling  the  Name  by  which 
He  had  made  Himself  known  to  Israel  (xliv.  26).  He  is 
henceforth  "  God  of  all  flesh,"  "  God  in  the  Heavens  "  (cp. 
2  Chron.  xxxvi.  23),  "  King  of  the  Nations,"  and,  65  times, 
"  Lord  of  Hosts."  Yet  He  has  been  in  Jeremiah  also 
"  Jacob's  Portion,"  "  Israel's  God  and  Hope  and  Holy  One," 
and  the  "  God  of  all  Israel's  families."  ObadiaJts  message 
is  from  Adonai  Jehovah,  recalling  Amos  and  Micah. 
Ezekzel,  worldwide  rather  than  national  in  his  outlook, 
revives  the  ancient  patriarchal  name  of  El  Shaddai  (x.  5), 
which  we  met  with  last  in  Exodus.  "  God  of  Israel " 
occurs  once,  and  in  striking  contrast  to  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah, 
Ezekiel  contains  no  other  name  save  "  Jehovah." 

VIII.  Man's  Relation  to  God  in  Worship. 

Eight  of  Judah's  kings  led  their  people  into  seven 
Apostasies.  Save  Rehoboam,  who  repented  in  time,  each 
was  visited  with  a  personal  punishment  in  addition  to  the 
national  punishment  that  followed  the  national  sin. 

(1)  Rehoboam  :  hence  Egyptian  Invasion  (2  Chron.  xii.  1  ; 

1  Kings  xiv.  21-6). 

(2)  Jehoram :  hence  Philistine  and  Arabian  Invasion 
(2  Chron.  xxi.  ;  2  Kings  xi.   18). 

(£)Joash:  hence  Syrian  Invasion  (2  Chron.  xxiv.  18-23). 

(4)  Amaziah:  hence  Israelite  Invasion  (2  Chron.  xxv. 
14,  20-22). 

(5)  AJiaz :  hence  Invasion  by  Israelites,  Syrians,  Philis- 
tines, Edomites,  and  Assyrians  (2  Chron.  xxviii.  2,  19,  25  ; 

2  Kings  xvi.  2-4). 

(6)  Manasseh  :  hence  Assyrian  Invasion  (2  Chron.  xxxiii. 
3-1 1  ;  2  Kings  xxi.  1-16). 

(7)  Jehoiakim  and  Zedekiah :  hence  Babylonian  Invasion 
(2  Chron.  xxxvi.  8,  14;  Jer.  xi.  13,  xvii.  2,  xix.  5). 


QUESTIONS.  133 

(1)  and  (2)  may  both  be  traced  to  the  influence  of  a  queen 
of  foreign  extraction.  (4)  is  the  only  one  of  which  we  are 
not  told  that  worship  of  Ashtoreth  was  set  up.  In  (2),  (5), 
(6),  and  (7)  special  mention  is  made  of  the  worship  of  Baal. 
In  (6)  the  worship  of  Jehovah  was  actually  disestablished, 
and  the  true  faith,  for  the  first  time  in  Judah,  persecuted. 
Amaziah,  Manasseh,  Jehoiakim,  and  Zedekiah  were  taken 
captive,  Jehoram  and  Joash  were  smitten  with  sickness,  and 
Ahaz  was  ruined  with  his  people.  (1),  (2),  (5),  and  (6) 
were  followed  by  Reformations,  (3)  and  (4)  being  less 
flagrant,  and  (7)  past  reforming,  save  by  the  stern  discipline 
of  the  Captivity.  These  Reformations,  by  which  evil  was 
for  the  time  overcome  of  good,  and  ruin  averted,  were 
through 

(a)  Asa,  completed  by  JehosJiapJiat. 

(d)  Jehoiada  in  the  reign  of  Joash. 

(c)  Hezekiah. 

(d)  Josiah. 

Students  would  do  well  to  work  out  fully  this  brief 
summary  of  Judah's  religious  history,  for  it  has  many 
lessons  to  teach  us,  as  a  nation,  as  a  church,  and  as 
individuals. 

We  leave  the  Chosen  People  ruined,  as  Moses  had  warned 
them  they  might  be  ruined  (Deut.  xxix.),  by  serving  false 
gods.  Our  next  two  terms  will  show  them  purged  from 
this  gross  idolatry  and  restored,  only  to  fall  into  a  subtler 
idolatry  which,  under  the  outward  forms  of  the  true 
religion,  will  lead  to  another  rejection  of  God  and  a  yet 
more  terrible  fall.  But  before  we  resume  their  story  we 
shall  glance  round  at  Nebuchadnezzar's  work  elsewhere  as 
pictured  by  the  Hebrew  prophets. 

IX.  Questions. 
(See  pp.  13,  18.) 

[Questions  III.,  XIII.,  XVII,  XVIIL,  XIX.,  XX.,  and  XXVI.  may  be 

answered  with  help  of  any  books.] 

I.  Where,  when,  by  whom,  and  with  what  results  were  the 
battles  of  Megiddo  and  Carchemish  fought  ?     (8.) 

II.  Complete  the  genealogical  table  of  the  Kings  of 
Judah  from  Hezekiah  onwards.     (7.) 


134  SIXTH  TERM. 

III.  Reconcile  Jer.  xxxii.  4,  5  and  xxxiv.  2,  3  witn  Ezek. 
xii.  13  ;  also  Jer.  xxii.  28,  30  with  Matt.  i.  12.     (6.) 

IV.  (a)  How  many  sovereigns  of  Judah  were  there? 
(Ji)  Which  had  the  longest  and  which  had  the  shortest 
reign  ?  (c)  Which  attained  the  greatest  age  ?  (d)  Which 
of  them  made  war  with  Israel  ?  (e)  Of  which  of  them  is 
it  said  that  the  Lord  was  with  them  ?  (/")  Which  of  them 
were  taken  captive  by  their  enemies?  (g)  Which  died 
violent  deaths?  (Ji)  Name  the  four  best,  the  four  worst, 
and  the  four  greatest  of  them  all.  (z)  Which  of  them 
is  called  King  of  Israel  ?  (j)  Which  of  them  were  buried 
in  the  royal  sepulchres  ?     (24.) 

V.  Make  a  complete  list  of  the  prophets  sent  to  Judah 
between  697  and  588,  and  name  three  false  prophets  of  the 
period.     (8.) 

VI.  What  do  you  know  of  Shaphan  the  scribe,  and  of 
four  sons  and  two  grandsons  of  his  mentioned  in  the 
Bible  ?     (7.) 

VII.  What  do  you  know  of  the  following? — Elnathan, 
Irijah,  Ishmael  son  of  Nethaniah,  Jaazaniah  son  of  Azur, 
Jehudi,  Nehushta.     (12.) 

VIII.  "We  will  not  ride  upon  horses."  Explain  this 
vow  by  quotations  from  Isaiah  and  Ezekiel.     (3.) 

IX.  What  circumstances  recorded  by  Jeremiah  and 
Ezekiel  account  for  Nebuchadnezzar's  relentless  policy  to 
Jerusalem  the  third  time  he  took  it,  though  he  had  spared 
it  twice  before?     (5.) 

X.  Show  that  Jerusalem  was  captured  and  the  Temple 
pillaged  at  least  eight  times  between  976  and  588.     (12.) 

XL  Give  a  brief  summary  of  the  chief  incidents  in 
Jeremiah's  life.     (10.) 

XII.  Quote  ten  prayers  in  the  Book  of  Jeremiah,  giving 
references  only.     (10.) 

XIII.  What  does  Jeremiah  mean  by  (a)  "  The  throne  of 
God's  glory,"  (Ji)  "  God's  footstool,"  (c)  "  The  mountain 
in  the  field,"  (d)  "  The  joy  of  the  whole  earth,"  (e)  "  The 
King  of  Sheshach,"  (/)  "  The  king  .  .  .  my  servant," 
(g)  "  God's  battle  axe,"  (Ji)  "  The  hammer  of  the  whole 
earth,"  (J)  "The  iron  furnace,"  (j)  "The  sword  of  the 
wilderness,"  (k)  "  The  queen  of  heaven,"  (/)  "  The  breath 
of  our  nostrils  "  ?     (12.) 


QUESTIONS.  135 

XIV.  Point  out  20  coincidences  of  thought  and  expres- 
sion between  the  Psalms  read  this  term  and  Jeremiah's 
writings.     (10.) 

XV.  To  whom  was  the  promise  made  that  their  life 
should  be  given  them  for  a  prey  ?     (3.) 

XVI.  Consider  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  as  types  of  Christ. 

(15.) 

XVII.  Enumerate  four  signs  (or  prophecies  through 
symbolic  acts  done  by  the  prophet)  shown  by  Jeremiah  to 
Israel,  indicating  what  each  signified.     (8.) 

XVIII.  Enumerate  six  signs  shown  by  Ezekiel,  indica- 
ting what  each  signified.     (12.) 

XIX.  Give  short  historical  explanations  of  the  vision  of 
Ezek.  viii.,  ix.,  and  the  parables  of  Ezek.  xvii.,  xix.     (8.) 

XX.  What  may  be  gathered  by  comparison  of  Ezekiel 
with  Genesis,  Exodus,  Isaiah,  and  Revelation  as  to  the 
appearance  and   nature  of  the   Cherubim  and  Seraphim  ? 

(10.) 

XXI.  Find  20  allusions  to  the  Holy  Spirit  in  Ezek.  i. — 
xxiv.,  and  Isa.  xl. — lxvi.     (10.) 

XXII.  Prove  by  quotations  that  Isa.  xl. — lxvi.  speaks 
of  Judah's  Captivity  as  past  and  not  future,  and  account 
for  this.     (10.) 

XXIII.  Illustrate  Acts  viii.  28-38  by  finding  20  New 
Testament  quotations  or  references  for  Isa.  lii.  13 — liii.  12. 

(10.) 

XXIV.  Find  25  other  New  Testament  quotations  from 
Isa.  xl. — lxvi.,  6  from  Jeremiah,  and   5   from   Habakkuk. 

(18.) 

XXV.  "  The  word  peace  runs  as  a  golden  thread  through 
the  tissue  of  the  whole  Book  of  Isaiah."      Illustrate  .this. 

(10.) 

XXVI.  Explain  briefly  the  following  passages  :— Zeph.  i. 
4,  5,  1 1  ;  Hab.  ii.  1 1  ;  Jer.  ii.  30,  xii.  5,  xxii.  10  ;  Ezek.  xviii. 
4;  Isa.  lxv.  3,4,  11.     (16.) 

XXVII.  How  often  is  God  spoken  of  as  King  in  the 
literature  of  this  period?  Give  some  of  the  other  chief 
names  of  God  in  Jeremiah  and  Isa.  xl. — lxvi.     (24.) 

XXVIII.  What  may  we  learn  from  the  prophets  of  this 
period  as  to  (a)  the  wages  of  sin,  (b)  the  forgiveness  of 
sins,   (c)  God's  desire   to  save,  (d)  God's   power   to   save. 


136  SIXTH  TERM. 

(e)  guidance  by  God,  (/)  rest  in  God  ?     Do  not  give  more 
than  36  references  altogether.     (36.) 

XXIX.  What  allusions  do  they  contain  to  (a)  the 
Creation,  (&)  the  Garden  of  Eden,  (c)  Noah,  (d)  Job, 
(e)  Abraham,  (/)  the  destruction  of  Sodom,  (g)  Rachel, 
(Ji)  Moses,  (*')  the  Plagues  of  Egypt,  (J)  the  Exodus, 
(k)  Israel  in  the  Wilderness,  (/)  Samuel  ?     (14.) 

XXX.  Illustrate  the  following  passages  from  the  history 
of  this  period.  Psalm  cxix.  71  ;  James  v.  1-6  ;  Heb.  xiii.  3  ; 
Luke  ix.  24  ;  1  John  ii.  n  ;  1  Cor.  vii.  29-31.     (12.) 

XXXI.  Indicate  briefly  the  contexts  of  the  following  : — 

(1)  "I  am  against  them,"  "  I  am  with  thee." 

(2)  "  I  have  made  thee  despised,"  "  I  will  glorify  them." 

(3)  "  There  is  no  healing  for  thee,"  "  I  will  heal  him." 

(4)  "  I  will  make  this  city  a  curse,"  "  A  blessing  is 
in  it." 

(5)  "  They  shall  be  weary,"  "They  shall  not  be  weary." 

(6)  "  The  nations  weary  themselves  for  vanity,"  "  Thy 
work  shall  be  rewarded." 

(7)  "  Take  ye  no  rest,"  "  Ye  shall  find  rest." 

(8)  "  Wilt  Thou  be  angry  for  ever  ? "  "I  will  not  keep 
anger  for  ever." 

(9)  "  Remember  not  former  iniquities,"  "  I  will  not  re- 
member thy  sins." 

(10)  "We  walk  in  darkness,"  "I  will  make  darkness 
light." 

(n)  "We  are  called  by  Thy  name,"  "  I  have  called  thee 
by  thy  name." 

(12)  "  Come  ye,"  "  We  come  unto  Thee."     (24.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — (a)  "O 
deadly  wounded  wicked  one ! "  (b)  "  The  false  pen  of  the 
scribes."  (V)  "  O  nation  that  hath  no  shame  ! "  (d)  "  Neither 
could  they  blush."  (e)  "  He  whose  might  is  his  god." 
(/)  "  His  boastings  have  wrought  nothing."  (^)  "  New 
every  morning."  ( h )  "  Satisfied  with  My  goodness." 
(*)  "At  peace  with  Me."  (J)  "A  nation  before  Me  for 
ever."  (%)  "  Mighty  to  save."  (/)  "  Plenteous  redemption." 
{m)  "  Abundance  of  peace  and  truth."  (n)  "  Why  will  ye 
die?"  {0)  "Seek  meekness."  (j>)  "Eat  ye  that  which  is 
good."  (q)  "  Keep  not  back  a  word."  (r)  "  Begin  at  My 
sanctuary."     (s)  "  I   said,  Behold  Me."     (J)  "  I  made  him 


QUESTIONS.  137 

many."  (u)  "Because  thine  heart  was  tender,  I  have 
heard."  (v)  "  He  knoweth  the  secrets  of  the  heart." 
(w)  "  Foolish  prophets  that  follow  their  own  spirit." 
(x)  "  They  turned  in  fear  one  toward  another."  (jj/)  "  He 
shall  come  as  a  rushing  stream."  (z)  "  My  sleep  was 
sweet."     (26.) 

For  Second  Series  of  Questions,  see  p.  309. 


SEVENTH  TERM. 

The  Days  of  Ezra. 

The  Restoration  and  the  Second  Temple. 

b.c.  606 — 397. 

2  Chron.  XXXVL,  22,  23.  Psalms  LXXXV.,  XC/f.—C,  CIL— 
CVII.,  CXIII.—CXXVL,  CXXXIV.—CXXXVII.,  CXLIV.,  CXLVI. 
— CL.  Ezekiel XXV. — XLVIII.  Daniel.  Ezra.  Esther.  Nehemiah. 
Haggai.     Zechariah.     Malachi.     (129  chapters?) 

"  All  the  people  went  their  way  ...  to  make  great  mirth,  because  they  had 
understood  the  words  that  were  declared  unto  them." — Neh.  viii.  12. 


25th  MONTH  (32). 

Ezek.  XXV.  — XLVIII.  Dan. 
I. —IV.,  VII.,  V.,  VIII., 
IX. 

26th  MONTH  (32). 

Dan.  VI.  2  Chron.  XXXVL 
22,  23.  Ezra  I. — III.  7. 
PsalmsCIL— CVII.,CXXXVII. 
CXX.  —  CXXIL,  LXXXV. 
Ezra  III.  8-13.  Ezra  IV.  1-5. 
Dan.  X.— XII.  Ezra  IV.  6— 
VI.  13.  Haggai.  Zech.  L— VIII. 


27th  MONTH  (33). 

Ezra  VI.  14-22.  Esther.  Ezra 
VII.— X.  Zech.  IX.— XIV.  Neh. 
I.— VII.  Psalm  CXXIIL— 
CXXVI.     Neh.  VIII.,  IX. 

28th  MONTH  (32). 


Neh.      X. 

CXLIV., 

CXXXVI. 

Psalms 

xcv— c, 

Neh.   XII. 
CXLVI.  - 


Psalms  XCIV., 
CXXXIV.  — 
Neh.  XL— XII.  26. 
XCIL,  XCIIL, 
CXIIL— CXVIII. 
27— XIII.  3.  Psalm 
CL.        Neh.   XIII. 


4-31.     Malachi.     Psalm  CXIX. 


I.  General  Summary. 

THAT  God  is  the  God  of  Gentiles  as  well  as  of  Jews 
is  the  first  note  of  this  term's  reading.     The  world's 
history  has  been  divided  into  three  great  epochs. 

(1)  Primaeval  History,  from  the  dawn  of  civilisation  in 
Egypt  to  the  Fall  of  Babylon,  the  first  capital  of  the  world, 
in  B.C.  538.  Here  the  Semitic  races  predominate,  but  Israel 
is  the  only  one  of  which  we  have  more  than  a  fragmentary 
account.     (2)  Classical  History,  from  B.C.  538  to  the  Fall 

138 


GENERAL  SUMMARY.  139 

of  Rome,  the  second  capital  of  the  world,  in  A.D.  476. 
Here  the  Aryan  races  predominate.  (3)  Mediceval  and 
Modern  History,  from  A.D.  476  onward.  Here  history  deals 
with  all  mankind. 

We  now  approach  the  end  of  the  first  epoch,  and  sacred 
and  secular  history,  hitherto  quite  distinct,  begin  to  mingle. 
Israel  influences  and  is  influenced  by  Gentile  powers,  and 
thus  the  way  is  prepared  for  the  mystery  revealed  to  S.  Paul 
(Eph.  iii.),  the  subject  of  our  Ninth  Term's  work. 

In  the  first  epoch  the  ruling  power  is  physical,  in  the 
second  intellectual,  in  the  third  spiritual.  Of  physical 
power,  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  last  of  the  Primaeval  conquerors, 
was  the  greatest  representative.  He  was  used  to  bring  about 
the  new  historical  epoch,  and  the  Hebrew  prophets  were  used 
to  point  out  the  significance  of  his  work.  "  Like  the  great 
tragic  chorus  to  the  awful  drama  which  was  unfolding  itself 
in  the  Eastern  world,"  they  uttered  their  sublime  funeral 
anthems  over  the  falling  Primaeval  monarchies,  and  summed 
up  the  everlasting  lesson  of  "  the  ruins  of  time  "  (see  Isa. 
xl.  6-8).  Joel,  Amos,  Micah,  Isaiah,  Zephaniah,  Habakkuk, 
Jeremiah,  Obadiah,  and  Ezekiel  picture  the  falls  of  Israel 
and  JudaJi,  'descendants  of  Jacob  ;  the  Edomites,  descend- 
ants of  Esau  ;  the  Arabians,  descendants  of  Ishmael ;  Moab 
and  Amnion,  descendants  of  Lot ;  the  Syrians  and  Elamites, 
descendants  of  Shem  ;  the  Philistines,  Tyrians,  Sidonians, 
and  EtJiiopians,  descendants  of  Ham  ;  also  of  the  Egyptians, 
and  finally  of  the  Chaldeans,  when  Babylon  drank  of  the 
cup  she  mingled  for  others  (Jer.  xxv.  17-26).  (They  are 
named  above  according  to  the  nearness  of  their  relation  to 
Israel.  Students  are  advised  to  look  them  out  on  the  map, 
to  read  about  them  in  §  xxx.  of  "  Oxford  Helps,"  to  find 
the  references  in  the  Prophets,  and  to  observe  that  for  Israel, 
Judah,  Moab,  Amnion,  Elam,  and  Egypt,  mercy  as  well  as 
judgment  was  predicted.) 

The  political  reconstruction  of  the  world  was  then  the 
Prophets'  theme,  surely  a  grand  enough  one  to  claim  our 
attention.  Yet  they  looked  beyond  that.  Daniel  com- 
pleted their  predictions  with  an  announcement  of  the 
spiritual  kingdom  which  would  supersede  and  transcend 
for  ever  all  the  kingdoms  founded  on  force. 

A   recently  discovered    inscription  of   Nebuchadnezzar's 


140  SEVENTH  TERM. 

runs  thus :  "  I  have  made  completely  strong  the  defences 
of  Babylon.  May  it  last  for  evei."  But  on  the  north  side 
of  the  mountain  barrier  that  crosses  the  world  from  the 
Himalayas  to  the  Pyrenees,  lived  fierce  races  who  have 
more  than  once  swept  down  upon  the  fertile  south  side,  and 
dispossessed  its  less  hardy  inhabitants.  Such  a  descent 
thence  of  a  great  Aryan  tribe  the  Hebrew  prophets  had 
long  foretold.  History  calls  it  the  Medo-Persian  conquest 
of  Babylon.  Its  leader  was  Cyrus,  the  first  of  the  ancient 
conquerors  who  was  more  than  a  despot  and  a  destroyer, 
the  first  great  man  in  Scripture  who  spoke  a  language  akin 
to  our  own ;  referred  to  more  honourably  in  Hebrew 
prophecy  by  Isaiah  than  any  other  Gentile ;  and  in  Greek 
literature  by  Xenophon  than  any  other  "  barbarian  "  prince. 
His  people  went  on  and  prospered  till  they  met  a  still 
stronger  Aryan  race  in  Greece,  and  then  the  conquering 
Ahasuerus  of  the  Hebrew  Book  of  Esther  became  the 
conquered  Xerxes  of  Greek  history. 

And  now  "  the  set  time  to  have  pity  on  Zion  "  had  come 
(Psalm  cii.  13  ;  Dan.  ix.  2).  Her  Captivity  in  Babylon  was 
not,  like  that  in  Egypt,  the  personal  bondage  of  individuals, 
but  the  political  subjection  of  a  nation.  In  Greek  it  is 
described  by  a  word  meaning  "  transportation  "  or  "  migra- 
tion." The  exiles  were  allowed  to  dwell  together  in  con- 
siderable bodies,  and  to  acquire  property  (Jer.  xxix.  4-7). 
Yet  we  see  the  anguish  of  their  exile  not  only  through  its 
Hebrew  name  which  means  "stripped  bare,"  but  through 
Isaiah,  Lamentations,  Ezekiel,  and  the  Psalms.  Its  litera- 
ture has  a  permanent  interest,  because  it  expounds  "the 
sweet  uses  of  adversity,"  and  the  power  of  the  consolation 
that  comes  from  God.  The  highest  comfort  offered  to 
them,  through  Isaiah,  was  a  picture  of  that  supreme 
suffering  of  supreme  Love,  which  was  to  ennoble  suffering 
for  ever,  and  console  our  sorrowful  hearts  again  and  again 
(see  Isa.  liii.). 

Their  Restoration,  an  event  without  parallel  in  history, 
was  regarded  as  a  second  birth,  a  second  Exodus.  But 
from  Egypt  there  came  out,  by  the  extraordinary  inter- 
position of  God's  power  and  in  spite  of  an  earthly  sovereign, 
an  entire  people,  bound  together  by  common  descent  and 
common  suffering,  to  take  possession  of  a  promised  king- 


GENERAL  SUMMARY.  141 

dom  and  assert  their  national  independence.  From  Babylon 
there  came  out,  by  the  ordinary  working  of  God's  provi- 
dence, and  through  the  action  of  an  earthly  sovereign,  some 
50,000  out  of  a  whole  nation,  to  form  the  central  part  of 
a  scattered  church,  to  hear  the  last  words  of  prophecy,  and 
to  recognise  in  the  writings  of  the  past  the  abiding  lessons 
of  God. 

For  the  mass  of  the  exiles  had  accumulated  property 
to  the  amount  of  ,£4,000,000  (Esth.  iii.  9)  in  their  new 
homes,  and  preferred  to  retain  their  faith,  but  sacrifice  their 
patriotism  ;  types  of  those  who,  ceasing  to  watch  against 
sin,  leave  a  higher  for  a  lower  religious  life,  and  though 
distressed  at  first  by  the  change,  learn  by  degrees  to  find  more 
pleasure  in  the  world  and  less  pleasure  in  the  things  of  God. 
These  Jews  (known  as  "  the  Dispersion  "  :  see  John  vii.  35, 
R.V.)  gradually  spread  far  and  wide,  until,  according  to 
Josephus,  there  was  scarcely  a  corner  of  the  Roman  Empire 
wkere  they  might  not  be  found.  The  Greek  conquest  opened 
the  way  for  this,  and  Greek  rule  neutralised  many  of  the 
evils  by  which  it  was  attended.  In  A.D.  1  there  were  three* 
great  sections  of  the  Dispersion,  the  Babylonian,  Syrian, 
and  Egyptian.  They  still  prided  themselves  on  the  purity 
of  their  descent,  and  a  spiritual  bond  still  united  them, 
Jerusalem,  no  longer  the  centre  of  a  nation  and  the  capital 
of  a  royal  race,  became  the  holy  city  of  a  church  and  the 
capital  of  a  creed,  whose  monotheism  and  Messianic  hope 
had  a  far-reaching  influence.  Never  again  was  the  race  to 
be  confined  within  the  borders  of  Palestine,  and  its  name 
of  Hebrew  or  Israelite  henceforth  gives  place  to  the  name 
of  Jew,  "  born,"  says  Josephus,  "  on  the  day  they  came  out 
of  Babylon."  But  all  alike  looked  to  the  Temple  as  their 
religious  centre,  and  contributed  largely  to  its  funds.  No 
rival  sanctuary  disputed  its  place  henceforth,  though  every- 
where it  was  supplemented  by  synagogues. 

Other  results  of  the  Captivity  may  be  summed  up  thus  : — 

(1)  Hitherto  Israel  had  been  constantly  led  away  into 
the  old  idolatries  that  still  clung  to  their  soil.  Henceforth, 
after  close  contact  with  heathenism  in  its  fullest  develop- 
ment at  Babylon,  they  hated  idolatry  with  a  fanatical 
hatred.     (See  Psalm  cxv.) 

(2)  Hitherto  they  had   stumbled  through  too  frank  an 


142  SEVENTH  TERM. 

intercourse  with  other  nations.  Henceforth  their  religion 
became  intensely  national  and  exclusive,  and  they  held 
that  a  man  who  read  foreign  books  risked  his  hopes  of 
eternal  life.  Yet  their  dispersion  among  other  peoples 
made  them  perforce  more  cosmopolitan  in  their  ideas,  and 
this  dispersion,  with  the  accompanying  stern  purification 
from  heathenism,  fitted  their  faith  to  become  the  seedplot 
of  the  one  truly  universal  religion  of  the  world. 

(3)  Hitherto  they  had  been  ruled  by  kings.  Henceforth 
they  were  ruled  by  priests. 

(4)  Hitherto  they  had  paid  little  heed  to  the  written 
word  of  God.  Henceforth  they  regarded  it  with  a  well-nigh 
exaggerated  reverence.  Contrast  Elijah,  who  was  almost 
exclusively  a  preacher,  with  Ezekiel,  who  was  almost  exclu- 
sively an  author. 

(5)  Hitherto  the  external  ceremonies  of  religion  had  been 
all  important,  and  their  religious  life  mainly  corporate. 
Henceforth  reading  the  Scriptures,  preaching,  and  abtfve 
all  prayer,  became  the  essential  things  in  public  worship, 
and  there  was  a  new  sense  of  individual  responsibility,  and 
of  the  grandeur  of  being  true  to  one's  convictions  in  the 
face  of  the  whole  world. 

(6)  Hitherto  the  Hebrew  in  which  the  Old  Testament  is 
penned  had  been  a  living  tongue,  written  in  the  old  Phoe- 
nician characters.  Henceforth  it  gradually  became  a  dead 
tongue,  and  at  some  unknown  date  before  B.C.  300  the 
square  characters  now  used  were  adopted.  At  the  Restora- 
tion the.  Jews  were  bilingual.  The  last  of  their  prophets 
still  wrote  in  Hebrew,  but  the  language  of  daily  life  and  of 
all  their  subsequent  literature  was  Aramaic  or  Chaldean 
(2  Kings  xviii.  26,  R.V.),  the  kindred  tongue  of  the  land  of 
exile.  Jer.  x.  11,  Dan.  ii.  4 — vii.  28,  and  parts  of  Ezra  (see 
R.V.),  all  of  which  refer  to  the  Gentiles,  are  in  Aramaic, 
and  it  is  called  "  Hebrew  "  in  Acts  xxii.  2. 

(7)  Hitherto  they  had  been  an  agricultural  people. 
Henceforth  they  became  what  they  are  now,  a  trading 
people,  their  commercial  enterprise  finding  a  first  outlet  at 
Alexandria. 

The  nation  had  returned,  but  not  to  be  what  it  had  been. 
The  opportunity  for  proving  a  leader  among  the  peoples 
as  God's   People,  once  lost,  did  not  recur.     Its  humbler 


BOOKS   TO   BE  READ.  143 

career  henceforth  teaches  the  sad  lesson  that  in  this  life  an 
evil  past  can  never  be  entirely  retrieved.  The  moral  of 
the  whole  Captivity,  which  Jeremiah  had  foretold,  is  given 
by  Ezekiel  where  he  points  to  a  restoration  and  renewal, 
not  of  national  glory,  but  of  individual  goodness  through 
the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God. 

II.  Books  to  be  Read. 
(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  v.) 

This  term  history,  psalmody,  and  prophecy  are  repre- 
sented in  almost  equal  proportions.  The  three  historical 
books  cover  only  one  of  the  six  centuries  between  Judah's 
Fall  and  the  Birth  of  Christ.  Of  the  first  seventy  years 
we  glean  particulars  from  psalms  and  prophecies ;  of  the 
last  393  from  the  Apocrypha.  For  the  forty  Psalms  of 
this  period,  see  p.  204.  The  life  of  Daniel,  the  last  prophet 
of  the  second  group,  bridges  the  age  of  the  Captivity. 
The  three  Post-Exilian  prophets  forming  the  third  group 
close  the  Canon.  They  give  us  the  result  of  former 
teaching  rather  than  new  doctrines. 

Part  I.  of  Ezekiel  has  already  been  uttered  as  a  final 
message  to  Judah  before  her  fall.  Part  II.  (xxv. — xxxii.) 
proclaims  God's  Judgments  upon  seven  foreign  nations, 
and  was  written  between  the  besieging  and  the  capture  of 
Jerusalem  (with  the  exception  of  xxix.  17 — xxx.  19,  the 
date  of  which  is  572).  Part  III.  (xxxiii. — xlviii.),  all  written 
immediately  after  the  capture,  is  a  glorious  Promise  of 
Restoration,  culminating  in  a  vision  of  the  Temple  re-built 
and  the  land  re-peopled. 

Daniel,  of  the  royal  house  of  David  (603 — 534).  Chaps, 
i. — vi.  are  history  mingled  with  prophecy.  Chaps,  vii. — xii. 
are  prophecy  written  with  the  detail  of  history.  There  is 
no  other  book  in  the  Bible  with  which  this  unique  book  can 
be  classed.  The  Jews  put  it  among  the  "  Scriptures,"  not 
among  the  "  Prophets."  (See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  v.)  Its 
Hebrew  is  strikingly  like  that  of  Ezekiel ;  there  are  many 
traces  of  its  literary  influence  upon  each  of  the  Post-Exilian 
prophets,  and  many  close  parallels  between  it  and  Revela- 
tion. The  narrative  is  interspersed,  like  Nehemiah's,  with 
characteristic   utterances   of  personal  devotion.     That  its 


144  SEVENTH  TERM. 

history  is  authentic  is  proved  by  contemporary  and  later 
references  to  its  incidents.  That  its  prophecies  are  inspired 
communications  from  God  is  attested  by  our  Lord's 
reference  to  Daniel.  That  it  may  have  taken  its  present 
form  after  Daniel's  death  is  possible,  and  according  to 
some  authorities  probable.  Its  keynote  is  God's  supreme 
and  everlasting  kingdom  (Mark  i.  1 5  ;  Rev.  xi.  1 5),  and  it 
forms  the  first  philosophy  of  history,  "  the  first  recognition 
of  the  continuous  succession  of  ages,  of  the  instructive  fact 
that  the  story  of  humanity  is  that  of  a  regular  development 
of  epochs,  one  growing  out  of  another,  cause  leading  to 
effect,  race  following  race,  and  empire  following  empire,  in 
a  majestic  plan  in  which  the  Divine  economy  is  as  deeply 
concerned  as  in  the  fate  of  the  Chosen  People  "  (Stanley). 

Ezra  and  Nehemiak,  which  in  many  ancient  MSS.  form 
one  book,  are  probably  a  compilation  by  various  authors 
in  continuation  of  Chronicles,  which  they  closely  resemble 
in  style.  Ezra  i.  (whose  chronological  place  is  between 
Dan.  ix.  and  x.)  is  probably  by  Daniel  ;  and  Ezra  ii. — 
iii.  1,  and  Neh.  i. — vii.  and  xii.  27 — xiii.  31,  by  Nehemiah. 
Ezra  iii.  2— iv.  5  and  iv.  24 — vi.  may  be  by  Haggai.  Cer- 
tainly Ezra  vii. — x.,  and  probably  Neh.  viii. — x.  are  by 
Ezra.  Ezra  iv.  6-23  is  probably  a  later  addition  by  Ezra, 
and  the  statistics  in  Neh.  xi.  1 — xii.  26,  which  are  brought 
down  to  B.C.  330,  were  probably  prepared  under  Nehemiah's 
direction  and  added  to  after  his  death. 

Esther  is  probably  from  the  pen  of  Mordecai,  and  may 
have  formed  part  of  those  Persian  official  records  to  which 
it  alludes  more  than  once.  The  story  of  how  Haman  gives 
to  Mordecai  what  he  had  chosen  for  himself,  while  what  he 
had  chosen  for  Mordecai  is  given  to  him,  fills  the  most 
secular  book  in  the  Bible,  and  the  one  which  the  Christian 
Church  has  hesitated  most  about  receiving  into  the  Canon. 
But  the  Jews  said  it  would  outlast  all  the  rest  of  the  Old 
Testament  save  the  Pentateuch.  And  rightly.  For  not 
only  is  it  a  picture  of  the  Dispersion,  without  which  their 
history  would  not  be  complete  ;  it  also  teaches  once  for  all 
that  what  we  falsely  call "  chance  "  works  out  God's  purposes 
even  when  His  hand  is  hidden  (Matt.  x.  29,  30  ;  Rom. 
viii.  28).  As  Herodotus,  Xenophon,  and  Berosus  fill  in  the 
brief  statement  of  Dan.  v.  30  with  details  exactly  corro- 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  145 

borating  the  predictions  of  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and  Habakkuk 
concerning  the  Fall  of  Babylon,  so  the  historians  of  Greece 
paint  the  same  wilfully  imperious  monarch  that  appears  in 
Esther,  and  account  for  the  fact  that  two  foreigners  were 
apparently  rivals  for  the  office  of  Grand  Vizier  by  de- 
scribing the  great  destruction  of  Persian  nobles  in  the  war 
with  Greece  that  took  place  between  Vashti's  repudiation 
and  Esther's  marriage.  This  same  war  also  explains  the 
willingness  of  Xerxes'  successor  to  have  Jerusalem  fortified  as 
an  important  post  on  the  line  of  communication  with  Egypt. 

Haggai  (520).  His  keynote  is  Do  your  appointed  work  at 
the  appointed  time,  zealously  and  steadily  (Mark  xiii.  34  ; 
Heb.  vi.  10).  He  dwells  on  hindrances  from  within,  as 
the  contemporary  historians  dwell  on  those  from  without. 
Both  have  in  all  ages  to  be  overcome.  With  little  of  the 
poetic  fire  of  his  great  predecessors,  he  utters  vigorous 
and  practical  exhortation  to  men  to  consider  their  ways, 
and  see  themselves  as  they  really  are.  No  prophet  ever 
appeared  at  a  more  critical  juncture,  and  no  prophet  was 
more  immediately  successful. 

Zechariah,  son  of  Berachiah,  priest  as  well  as  prophet, 
like  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,  and  probably  young  since  he 
returned  with  his  grandfather  Iddo,  as  Haggai  was  pro- 
bably aged  (520—518).  His  keynote  is  The  holy  people 
with  whom  God  dwells  (John  xiv.  23  ;  Eph.  iii.  17).  Part  I. 
(i. — viii.)  is  dated,  continuous,  full  of  clear  allusions  to 
the  events  and  circumstances  of  the  time,  and  evidently  all 
from  the  same  hand.  Part  II.  (ix. — xi.)  and  Part  III.  (xii. 
— xiv.)  are  very  dissimilar  in  their  subject-matter  and  style, 
undated,  and  disconnected.  The  contemporary  allusions 
they  contain  are  vague,  and  seem  to  point  to  a  different, 
perhaps  to  a  much  earlier,  state  of  affairs.  Nor  are  they  else- 
where attributed  to  the  son  of  Berachiah.  Hence  some  critics 
regard  chs.  ix. — xiv.  as  an  anonymous  prophecy,  accidentally 
incorporated  with  Zechariah.  The  question  does  not  at  all 
affect  its  right  to  a  place  in  the  Bible  (it  is  more  than  once 
quoted  in  the  New  Testament)  ;  and  opinions  differ  so 
widely  as  to  its  date,  if  it  is  not  by  Zechariah,  that  I  merely 
separate  it  from  Part  I.,  without  placing  it  in  a  different 
period.  See  Dr.  Marcus  Dods'  "  Post-Exilian  Prophets  " 
for  fuller  discussion  of  the  subject  (T.  &  T.  Clark,  is.  6d.). 

10 


146  SEVENTH  TERM. 

Malachi  (397  ?).  We  are  not  even  certain  of  this 
prophet's  name.  He  is  never  mentioned  elsewhere,  and 
his  designation  means  "messenger."  Its  use  in  Hag.  i.  13, 
and  Mai.  ii.  7,  iii.  1,  has  suggested  that  this  book,  which 
the  Jews  called  "  the  seal  of  the  prophets,"  is  anonymous. 
(See  Mai.  i.  1,  R.V.  margin.)  Its  author  was  to  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah  what  Haggai  and  Zechariah  had  been  to  Joshua 
and  Zerubbabel.  In  its  rebuke  of  the  demoralisation  of 
the  priesthood,  the  insolence  of  wealth,  and  the  loosening 
of  family  ties,  there  are  three  leading  thoughts.  The  Lord's 
Messenger,  as  contrasted  with  the  Lord's  Anointed  of 
earlier  prophecy  ;  the  ideal  priest,  as  contrasted  with  the 
actual  priest ;  the  faithful  few,  as  contrasted  with  the  faith- 
less many  ;  all  leading  up  to  the  keynote  of  Pure  and 
spiritual  religion  (James  i.  27 ;  John  iv.  23,  24).  Malachi 
points  to  no  new  prophet,  but  to  Elijah  himself  as  the 
herald  of  the  last  and  greatest  crisis  of  Israel's  history,  and 
as  the  Old  Testament  closes  we  see  the  way  opened  by  the 
great  for  the  Greatest,  and  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  appears 
"with  Moses  and  Elias"  (see  Luke  ix.  30).  "The  age  of  Ezra 
was  the  last  pure  glow  of  the  long  days  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment seers,  and  Malachi  closes  the  prophetic  writings  in  a 
manner  not  unworthy  of  such  lofty  predecessors  "  (Ewald). 

III.  Periods  and  Dates. 

Of  the  584  years  which  elapsed  between  the  Fall  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  Birth  of  Christ,  191  bring  us  to  the  end 
of  the  Old  Testament.  But  we  deal  with  209  years  alto- 
gether this  term,  going  back  18  years  first  of  all,  in  order 
to  trace  the  whole  history  of  the  captives  from  the  First 
Deportation,  since  we  did  not  follow  any  of  the  Jews  to 
Babylon  last  term.  The  reigns  of  the  Babylonian  and 
Persian  Kings  form  landmarks  as  convenient  as  those  of 
the  sovereigns  of  Palestine  have  hitherto  been.  Note  these 
four  Decrees  : — 

(a)  536.  First  Decree  of  Cyrus  to  the  Jews  generally, 
authorising  their  Return  and  the  re-building  of  the  Temple. 

(b)  520.  Second  Decree  of  Darius  to  their  opponents,  to 
give  effect  to  the  First  Decree. 

(c)  458.  Third  Decree  of  Artaxerxes  to  Ezra,  author- 
ising the  restoration  of  the  Temple  worship. 


PERIODS  AND  DATES.  147 

(d)  445.      Fourth   Decree   of  Artaxerxes   to   Nehemiah, 
authorising  the  building  of  Jerusalem. 

(1)  B.C.  606—536  (70  years).     From  the  First  Siege  of 

Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadnezzar  to  the  First  Decree. 
The  Captivity  of  Judah.    590 — 572.  Ezek.  xxv. — xlviii. 

606.  Dan.  i.    603 — 561.  Dan.  ii. — iv.    540.  Dan.  vii. 

538.  Dan.  v.,  viii.,  ix.     537.  Dan.  vi. 

(2)  B.C.  536—516  (20  years).     From  the  First  Decree  to 

the  Dedication  of  the  Second  Temple.  The  fews 
under  foshua  and  Zerubbabel. 

536.  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  22,  23 ;  Ezra  i. — iii.  7 ;  Psalms 
cii. — cvii.,  exxxvii.,  cxx. — exxii.,  lxxxv. 

535.  Ezra  iii.  8-13.     534.  Ezra  iv.  1-5  ;  Dan.  x. — xii. 

529.  Ezra  iv.  6.     522.  Ezra  iv.  7-24. 

520.  Ezra  v. — vi.  13 ;  Haggai ;  Zech.  i. — viii. 

516.  Ezra  vi.  14-22. 

(3)  B.C.  516—458  (58  years).     From  the  Dedication  of 

the  Second  Temple  to  the  Third  Decree.  The  fews 
of  the  Dispersion. 

483.  Esth.  i.     479.  Esth  ii. 

474 — 473.  Esth.  iii.— x. 

(4)  B.C.  458—397  (61  years).    From  the  Third  Decree  to 

the  close  of  the  Old  Testament  Canon.     The  Jews 
under  Ezra  and  Nehemiah.     458.  Ezra.  vii. — x.  15. 
457.  Ezra  x.  1644  ;  Zech.  ix. — xiv. 
445—433.  Neh. i. — vii. ;  Psalms  exxiii. — exxvi. ;  Neh. 

viii. — x. ;    Psalms   xciv.,  cxliv.,  exxxiv. — exxxvi. ; 

Neh.  xi.  1 — xii.  26 ;  Psalms  xcii.,  xciii.,  xcv. — c., 

cxiii.— cxviii. ;  Neh.  xii.  27 — xiii.  3 ;  Psalms  cxlvi. 

— cl. 
432  ?  (or  428  ?  or  423  ?).     Neh.  xiii.  4-31« 
397  (?).     Malachi ;  Psalm  cxix. 

Six  Kings  of  Babylon. 

1.  Nabopolassar.    625 — 6o4. 

2.  Nebuchadnezzar.     604 — 561. 

3.  Evil  Merodach.     561—559. 

4.  Neriglassar  (Nergal-sharezer,  Jer.  xxxix.  3).  559 — 556. 

5.  Laborosoarchod.     556 — 555. 

6.  Nabonadius.     555—538. 


I4«  SEVENTH  TERM. 

Nabopolassar  was  the  founder  of  the  empire,  and  Nebu- 
chadnezzar was  his  son  ;  Evil  Merodach  and  Nabonadius 
were  son  and  grandson  of  Nebuchadnezzar  (see  Jer.  xxvii. 
6,  7)  ;  Neriglassar  and  Laborosoarchod  his  son  were  usurpers. 
At  the  end  of  his  reign  Nabonadius  made  his  son  BelsJiazzar 
his  associate  in  the  kingdom  and  governor  of  Babylon. 
Those  mentioned  in  the  Bible  are  in  italics. 

Two  Kings  of  Media. 

1.  Cyaxares  {Ahasuerus,  Dan.  ix.  1).     634 — 595. 

2.  Astyages  {Darius,  Dan.  v.  31).     594 — 536. 

Six  Kings  of  Persia. 

1.  Cyrus,  founder  of  the  empire.     558 — 529. 

2.  Cambyses  {Ahasuerus,  Ezra  iv.  6).     529 — 522. 

3.  Gomates  {Artaxerxes,  Ezra  iv.  7).     522 — 521. 

4.  Darius  Hystaspes  {Darius,  Ezra  iv.  5,  24,  v.,  vi.). 
$21—486. 

5.  Xerxes  {Ahasuerus,  Esther).     486 — 465. 

6.  Artaxerxes  Longimanus  (Ezravii. ;  Neh.).     465 — 423. 
The  mother  of  Cyrus  was  the  daughter   of  Astyages, 

Cambyses  was  the  son,  and  Xerxes'  mother  the  daughter 
of  Cyrus.  Xerxes  was  son  of  Hystaspes  and  father  of 
Longimanus.  Gomates  was  a  usurper.  Cambyses,  Gomates, 
Darius  Hystaspes,  and  Xerxes  are  mentioned  in  Dan.  xi.  2. 
The  Bible  name  of  each  is  given  in  italics.  Many  of  the 
identifications  are  among  the  most  recent  discoveries  of 
Biblical  scholarship.  Ahasuerus  (like  Pharaoh,  Sultan,  or 
Czar)  is  a  title,  not  a  name,  and  is  applied  to  three  different 
sovereigns  in  Scripture. 

Of  the  five  kings  who  followed  Artaxerxes  only  the  last, 
Darius  Codomannus  (336 — 331),  is  named  in  Scripture 
(Neh.  xii.  22). 


IV.  Geography. 

(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  Maps  VIII.,  IX.,  X.) 

From  their  mountain  fastnesses  and  land  of  varied  scenery 
and  diverse  products,  from  the  hurrying,  unnavigable  torrent 


GEOGRAPHY.  149 

of  Jordan,  from  their  simple  pastoral  and  agricultural  life, 
the  Jews,  who  since  the  Exodus  had  been  isolated  from  the 
rest  of  mankind,  were  taken  to  the  vast  alluvial  plains  of 
Babylon,  unbroken  save  by  the  works  of  their  teeming 
population,  nourished  by  broad  and  majestic  willow-fringed 
rivers,  where  ships  laden  with  merchandise  (Isa.  xliii.  14) 
thronged,  and  whence  straight  tributary  canals  irrigated 
the  whole  country  (Psalm  cxxxvii.  1,  2),  to  the  largest  walled 
city  ever  built,  the  capital  of  the  world,  the  seat  of  empire 
of  the  greatest  primaeval  conqueror.  Its  present  desolation 
exactly  fulfils  Isa.  xiii.,  but  in  the  Hebrew  prophets  we 
catch  glimpses  of  its  ancient  wealth  and  splendour,  of  its 
learning  and  its  pride,  of  the  glitter  of  its  arms  and  the 
clash  of  its  music.  Secular  historians  have  fully  described 
its  broad  streets  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  its  four- 
storied  houses,  its  parks  and  gardens  and  colossal  public 
buildings,  and  its  aged  sanctuary,  the  grandest  place  of 
worship  ever  raised.  Its  influence  on  the  captive  race  was 
permanent ;  and  henceforth  Babylon,  Queen  of  the  East 
and  destroyer  of  Jerusalem,  becomes  in  Scripture  the  type 
of  the  World,  reappearing  thus  in  S.  John's  vision  oi 
Imperial  Rome,  Queen  of  the  West  and  destroyer  likewise 
of  Jerusalem,  the  only  other  seat  of  worldwide  empire  that 
can  be  named  beside  it  (Rev.  xviii.). 

The  Jewish  caravans  who,  after  the  four  months'  march 
across  the  desert  so  joyously  predicted  in  Isa.  li.  1 1,  regained 
their  own  land,  found  its  state  very  different  from  that  of 
the  Palestine  they  had  left.  What  was  henceforth  known 
as  "  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles,"  was  occupied  by  a  half  heathen 
people ;  in  the  centre  were  the  Samaritans,  whom  they 
branded  as  Cuthites,  *>.,  Assyrians,  and  as  "  proselytes  of 
the  lion "  (2  Kings  xvii.  26,  27),  their  determined  an- 
tagonists ever  after ;  beyond  Jordan,  Moab  and  Ammon 
had  returned  to  a  fearfully  devastated  land ;  on  the  west 
coast  their  ancient  foes,  the  Philistines,  were  reasserting 
their  independence ;  and  on  the  south,  hostile  and  vin- 
dictive Edom  claimed  all  Judaea.  The  whole  country 
west  of  the  Euphrates  was  ruled  by  a  Persian  Satrap. 
Under  him  Zerubbabel  (Ezra  ii.  63)  and  Nehemiah 
(Neh.  viii.  9)  were  successively  Tirshathas  or  Pashas  of 
Falestine. 


5Q  SEVENTH  TERM. 


V.  Heroes. 

SZerubbabel,  I  Cor.  i.  27. 
Daniel.  1  Peter  iii.  14-16. 
Ezra,  Matt.  xiii.  52. 
NehemiaJi,  Luke  xviii.  I. 

Two  princes  of  David's  house,  a  statesman  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  and  a  priest  are  the  chief  makers  of  this  period 
of  history.  Of  these  one  was  a  prophet  and  three  were 
authors.  Zerubbabel,  or  Sheshbazzar  (both  Chaldasan 
names,  possibly  indicating  service  to  the  King  of  Babylon, 
comp.  Dan.  i.  7),  was  the  representative  of  David  at  the 
time  of  the  Return,  and  the  direct  ancestor  of  Christ.  He 
seems  to  have  been  the  descendant  of  David's  son  Nathan, 
the  son  of  Pedaiah,  and  the  adopted  son  of  Pedaiah's  brother 
vShealtiel ;  his  father  and  uncle  both  being  sons  of  Neri, 
and  adopted  sons  of  the  childless  (Jer.  xxii.  30)  King 
Jeconiah,  in  whom  Solomon's  line  died  out  (1  Chron.  iii. 
17-19  ;  Luke  iii.  27,  28,  31).  The  promise  to  Solomon  was 
conditional  (1  Kings  ix.  4,  5),  while  the  promise  to  David 
was  absolute  (2  Sam.  vii.  12).  Judah's  royal  line  had  been 
mown  down  relentlessly  by  Jehoram,  the  Arabians,  Jehu,  and 
Athaliah  (2  Chron.  xxi.,  xxii. ;  2  Kings  x.).  Zedekiah  had 
left  daughters  only,  of  whom  we  hear  no  more  ;  Ishmael's 
violence  had  proved  his  unworthiness  ;  and  Daniel  and  his 
companions  held  office  at  the  court  of  Babylon  as  Isaiah 
had  foretold  (Isa.  xxxix.  7).  Hence  Zerubbabel's  claim  to 
be  leader  of  his  countrymen.  Like  Solomon,  he  built  the 
Temple  ;  like  David,  he  regulated  the  courses  of  priests 
and  Levites  ;  like  Hezekiah,  he  celebrated  a  great  Passover. 
His  life  illustrates  the  sure  success  of  a  lofty  and  strenuous 
purpose.  Of  his  death  there  are  vague  traditions  only,  and 
his  children  were  without  authority.  But  the  hope  of  a 
renewal  in  him  of  the  royal  line  found  glorious  fulfilment 
in  the  Son  of  Mary  500  years  later.  Since  then  there  has 
been  no  undoubted  representative  of  David. 

Daniel's  personality  is  far  clearer  than  that  of  Zerub- 
babel. Tradition  even  tells  us  that  "  he  had  a  spare,  dry, 
tall  figure,  with  a  beautiful  expression."  Like  Moses 
before,  and  S.   Paul  after,   he   acquired   the  wisdom   and 


HEROES.  151 

learning  of  the  Gentiles  to  fit  him  for  wide  influence  and 
great  achievements,  and  became  Rab-Mag,  head  of  the 
wise  men,  or  chief  astrologer  at  the  court  of  Babylon.  Like 
Joseph  in  earlier,  and  other  Jews  in  later  times,  he  rose  by 
sheer  force  of  personal  ascendency  to  the  highest  place 
among  the  Gentiles,  as  the  mighty  Nebuchadnezzar's  Grand 
Vizier,  and  vindicated  his  royal  descent  by  showing  himself 
a  born  king  of  men.  An  incorruptible  statesman,  who 
risked  his  head  to  give  advice  wholesome  both  for  prince 
and  people  ;  a  devout  servant  of  God,  "  wearing  the  white 
flower  of  a  blameless  life  "  at  the  headquarters  of  Vanity 
Fair ;  he  showed  that  greater  than  the  material  power  of 
Babylon  was  the  moral  power  of  one  man  doing  his  duty 
"  with  God  to  friend,"  cost  what  it  might.  And  to  him  was 
given  the  eagle  vision  of  the  prophet,  or  rather  of  the  seer, 
with  extraordinary  knowledge  of  the  counsels  of  God,  and 
he  only  of  all  the  Old  Testament  saints  received  assurance 
from  God  Himself  of  his  personal  salvation.  "  He  was 
one"  (I  quote  Bishop  Ken),  "that  kept  his  station  in  the 
greatest  of  revolutions,  reconciling  policy  and  religion, 
business  and  devotion,  magnanimity  and  humility,  authority 
and  affability,  conversation  and  retirement,  interest  and 
integrity,  Heaven  and  the  Court,  the  favour  of  God  and  the 
favour  of  the  king." 

We  turn  from  Daniel  to  Ezra,  from  the  prince  born  in 
David's  palace  to  the  priest  born  in  exile,  from  the  large- 
minded  statesman  to  the  stern  reformer,  from  one  of  the 
last  of  the  seers  to  the  first  of  the  editors  and  compilers 
whose  scholarship  and  research  shape  the  literature  of  that 
age  of  criticism  and  reflection  (when,  according  to  the 
Talmud,  "  the  crown  of  learning  was  nobler  than  that  of 
empire  ")  which  followed  the  great  creative  age  of  soaring 
poesy  and  inspired  prophecy.  We  see  him  firing  his 
countrymen's  enthusiasm  for  God's  law  by  precept  and 
example,  and  inexorably  putting  down  abuses,  like  his 
ancestor  Hilkiah,  in  the  strength  of  "  the  good  hand  of  God 
upon  him."  And  while  he,  the  aged  theologian  and  scribe, 
helped  forward  the  political  revival,  Nehemiah,  the  young 
layman,  half  warrior,  half  statesman,  architect,  engineer, 
and  earliest  of  archaeologists,  helped  forward  the  moral 
reformation.     The  learned  son  of  Aaron  cannot  be  separ- 


152  SEVENTH  TERM. 

ated  from  the  firm  and  upright  but  quick-tempered  pasha. 
He,  too,  was  a  man  of  prayer  as  well  as  a  man  of  action, 
and  he  left  a  splendid  monument  of  his  prudence  and 
fidelity,  of  his  devotion  to  duty  and  self-denying  liberality, 
in  making  Jerusalem  a  strong  fortress  once  more.  We  can 
easily  understand  why  in  early  traditions  his  renown 
eclipses  that  of  Zerubbabel  or  Ezra.  But  in  calling  our 
whole  period  after  Ezra  we  act  in  the  spirit  of  those  later 
traditions  which  place  Nehemiah's  colleague  on  a  level  with 
Moses  and  Elijah.  For  what  Nehemiah  had  done  for  the 
Holy  City,  Ezra  did  for  the  Holy  Book  (see  Ezra  vii.  14), 
whose  influence  has  been  yet  more  extensive  and  endur- 
ing. The  "  Moses  of  the  Second  Exodus,"  he  is  said  also 
to  have  lived  120  years,  to  have  written  I.  and  II.  Chronicles, 
to  have  formed  the  Old  Testament  Canon,  and  the  council 
afterwards  known  as  the  Great  Synagogue,  to  have  intro- 
duced the  character  in  which  Hebrew  has  been  written 
ever  since,  and  to  have  established  synagogues.  These 
traditions  may  not  be  'exactly  true,  but  their  existence 
proves  Ezra's  importance.  For  ourselves,  we  learn  the 
same  great  lesson  from  all  these  four  heroes  of  a  crushed 
nationality  :  that  we  are  impotent  ;  that  God  is  infinitely 
potent ;  that  by  living  in  fellowship  with  Him  through 
prayer  we  may  be  endowed  with  a  power  not  our  own 
(Zech.  iv.  6,  7  ;  Dan.  vi.  10  ;  Ezra  vii.  28,  viii.  22  ;  Neh.  ii.  4). 

VI.  The  Coming  Messiah. 

"  They  brought  Jesus  up  to  Jerusalem  .  .  .  into  the  Temple? 
"Jesus  entered  into  the  Temple  oj  God,  and  cast  out 
all  them  that  sold  and  bought? — Luke  ii.  22,  27  ; 
Matt.  xxi.  12. 

The  cycle  of  Old  Testament  prophecy  closes  by  telling 
both  the  time  and  the  place  of  Messiah's  coming. 

(1)  Ezek.  xxxiv.  23,  24 ;  John  x. ;  Acts  v.  31. 

(2)  Ezek.  xxxiv.  29  ;  John  vi.  35. 

(3)  Ezek.  xxxvii.  22-4  ;  John  i.  49 ;  Rev.  xxi.  3-5. 

(4)  Dan.  ii.  34-45  ;  Matt.  xxi.  44 ;  Rev.  ii.  26,  27,  xix. 
15,  16. 

(5)  Dan.  vii.  13,  14  ;  Matt.  xxiv.  30,  xxv.  31,  32,  xxvi.  64. 

(6)  Dan.  ix.  24-7  ;  Heb.  ix.  26-8  ;  Acts  x.  38. 


THE   COMING  MESSIAH.  153 

(7)  Hag.  ii.  7-9  ;  Luke  ii.  26,  27,  46  ;  John  xiv.  27. 

(8)  Zech.  iii.  8  ;  Rev.  xxii.  16. 

(9)  Zech.  vi.  12-15  ;  Heb.  iii.  3,  viii.  I  ;  Acts  ii.  39. 

(10)  Zech.  ix.  9-1 1  ;  Matt.  xxi.  4,  5,  xxvi.  28;  Heb.  xii. 
24,  xiii.  20. 

(11)  Zech.  xi.  12,  13  ;  Matt.  xxvi.  15,  xxvii.  3-10. 

(12)  Zech.  xii.   10 ;    Luke   xxiii.  48;   John    xix.   34,  37; 
Rev.  i.  7. 

(13)  Zech.  xiii.  7  ;  Matt.  xxvi.  31,  56;  John  xvi.  32. 

(14)  Zech.  xiv.  ;  Acts  i.  11,  12;  John  iv.  10. 

(15)  Mai.  iii.  1-3  ;  Luke  vii.  27,  ii.  27  ;  John  ii.  13-16. 

(16)  Mai.  iv.  2-6  ;  Luke  i.  17,  78  ;  Matt.  xi.  14,  xvii.  10-13. 
The  Rabbis  referred  to  Messiah  the  passages  in  Ezek. 

xliv.— xlviii.  about  the  Prince,  but  looking  at  Ezek.  xlvi. 
16-18,  etc.,  it  seems  more  probable  that  they  mainly  refer 
to  Zerubbabel. 

Dan.  ix.  24-7  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  also 
most  difficult  of  Messianic  prophecies.  It  sets  forth  the 
time  and  the  purpose  of  Christ's  death,  and  upon  it  was 
based  an  universal  expectation  of  His  approach  at  the 
Christian  era.  Clearly  70  weeks  means  490  years,  or  70 
cycles  of  Sabbatic  years,  or  an  enlarged  jubilee,  or  seven 
times  the  period  of  the  Captivity.  A  similar  period  had 
already  elapsed  between  Abraham's  call  and  Joshua's  con- 
quest of  Palestine  (B.C.  1921 — 1431),  and  between  Saul's 
accession  and  the  Captivity  (1096—606),  and  reckoning  in 
lunar  years,  we  find  a  similar  period  from  the  Persian  era 
of  Jewish  restoration  to  the  Roman  era  of  Christ's  coming 
(B.C.  538 — 62).  Concerning  the  exact  application  of  this 
prophecy  there  have  been  since  the  days  of  Jerome  many 
conflicting  opinions.  Had  the  prediction  been  absolutely 
explicit,  it  must  have  compelled  recognition  of  the  true 
Messiah  when  He  came,  and  thus  thwarted  its  own 
fulfilment.  Hence  it  was  dim,  but  not  too  dim  for  the 
spiritually  enlightened.  (See  Dan.  xii.  10.)  We  do  not 
know  {a)  which  of  the  four  Decrees  (see  p.  146)  the  com- 
mandment "  of  v.  25  refers  to  ;  (b)  whether  the  Messiah's 
death  occurs  at  the  end  of  the  70  weeks  (490  years)  or  the 
69  weeks  (483  years)  ;  (c)  whether  the  years  are  solar  years 
of  365  days  or  luni-solar  years  of  360  days  ;  (d)  what  was 
the  exact  date  of  the  Crucifixion.     Out  of  many,  varying 


154  SEVENTH  TERM. 

slightly,  I  give  two  calculations,  both  of  which  place  the 
Crucifixion  in  A.D.  32.  (a)  Taking  the  Third  Decree,  70 
weeks,  and  solar  years,  458  B.C.  to  32  A.D.  is  490  years. 
(b)  Taking  the  Fourth  Decree,  69  weeks  and  lunar  years, 
March  14th,  B.C.  445  to  April  6th,  A.D.  32,  is  483  years. 
April  6th  is  calculated  as  the  day  (see  Luke  xix.  42)  of 
Christ's  Entry  into  Jerusalem.  The  first  seven  weeks  (v.  25) 
are  also  shown  to  bring  us  in  lunar  years  to  the  close 
of  the  Canon,  B.C.  445  to  397  being  49  lunar  years.  There 
is  probably  a  threefold  reference  to  (a)  the  profanation 
of  the  Temple  in  B.C.  168  and  its  restoration  three  years 
later,  (b)  the  death  of  Christ,  (c)  the  Last  Days  ;  and  a  corre- 
sponding explanation  of  "  the  prince  that  shall  come  "  as 
Antiochus  Epiphanes,  Titus,  and  Antichrist. 

Haggai  foretells  the  place  of  Christ's  coming.  In  the 
R.V.,  ii.  7  refers  to  the  rich  gifts  brought  by  Gentiles  to 
the  House  of  God. 

Next  to  Isaiah,  Zechariah  has  the  most  numerous  and 
detailed  prophecies  of  Christ,  especially  of  Christ  suffering. 
To  us  they  seem  particularly  easy  of  interpretation,  but 
they  must  have  been  particularly  hard  to  those  who  first 
heard  them,  while  what  was  plainest  to  them  probably 
seems  hardest  to  us.  Tsemach  (shoot  or  sprout)  is  a  title 
which  occurs  five  times  (sometimes  without  article,  as  if  it 
had  become  a  proper  name)  of  the  Messiah  as 

(a)  Son  of  David,  Jer.  xxiii.  5,  xxxiii.  15  (comp.  S. 
Matthew). 

\b)  God's  Servant,  Zech.  iii.  8  (comp.  S.  Mark). 

(c)  Son  of  Man,  Zech.  vi.  12  (comp.  S.  Luke). 

(d)  Son  of  God,  Isa.  iv.  2  (comp.  S.  John). 

The  title  has  special  reference  to  the  house  of  David,  and 
therefore  refers  primarily  to  Zerubbabel.  Further,  its  root 
idea  is  that  Messiah  was  the  grand  result  God  looked  for 
from  Israel,  the  fruit-bearing  Branch  which  would  compen- 
sate for  the  barrenness  of  the  rest  of  His  vine.  A  different 
word  (netser)  is  used  in  Isa.  xi.  1  and  Psalm  lxxx.  1 5. 

The  Old  Testament  ends  with  the  hopeful  word,  "  He 
will  come."  The  New  Testament  opens  with  the  triumph- 
ant word,  "  He  has  come."  In  the  Apocrypha  there  are 
no  Messianic  allusions  beyond  vague  reference  to  the  glory 
of  the  Chosen  People.     But  in  other  literature  of  this  later 


GODS  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF  TO  MAN       155 

age,  such  as  the  Book  of  Enoch,  the  Psalms  of  Solomon,  and 
the  Fourth  Book  of  Esdras,  there  are  visions  of  a  coming 
Deliverer,  unlike  the  Old  Testament  prophecies  in  their 
extravagant  fancies  and  frequent  trivialities  ;  unlike  them 
also  in  not  acknowledging  His  essentially  Divine  Nature, 
or  the  true  import  of  His  Human  Nature.  Yet  these 
books  speak  of  the  Messiah  as  "  Son  of  God  "  ;  and  from 
the  time  of  Daniel,  "  Son  of  Man  "  was  universally  regarded 
as  a  Messianic  title.  Hence  the  import  of  John  i.  34 ; 
Matt.  xvi.  13,  xxvi.  63,  64. 

VII.  God's  Revelation  of  Himself  to  Man. 

That  enlarged  conception  of  God  which  taught  the  later 
prophets  of  the  second  group  to  dwell  on  His  dealings  with 
all  mankind,  appears  in  such  titles  as  "  Most  High,"  "  Lord 
and  King  of  Heaven"  (Dan.),  "God  of  Gods"  (Dan., 
Psalms),  "  God  of  Heaven  "  (Ezra,  Neh.,  Dan.,  Psalms), 
"Lord  of  all  the  Earth"  (Zech.).  "Lord  of  Hosts"  occurs 
87  times  in  the  three  Post-Exilian  prophets.  The  Court 
now  for  the  first  time  set  apart  for  Gentiles  in  the  Temple 
was  a  symbol  of  the  truth  so  grandly  proclaimed  in  Mai. 
i.  11.  "God  of  Jerusalem"  occurs  first  in  2  Chron.  xxxii. 
19,  and  also  in  Ezra,  marking  the  fact  that  only  a  part 
of  the  Chosen  People  had  remained  faithful  (comp.  Ezek 
xlviii.  35). 

The  thought  that  their  God  was  no  mere  national  deity 
such  as  other  peoples  acknowledged,  and  that  He  was  no 
longer  in  direct  communication  with  them,  led  to  a  deeper 
awe  of  Him,  which  showed  itself  in  two  ways,  (a)  By  a 
"seasonable  development"  (to  quote  Westcott)  of  that 
doctrine  of  angels  as  agents  and  messengers  between  God 
and  man,  of  which  there  are  much  earlier  hints,  (b)  By 
a  false  reverence  which,  at  some  unknown  date,  replaced 
"Jehovah"  by  "Adonai"  in  Old  Testament  MSS.,  and 
then  translated  that  by  a  Greek  word  which  in  its  turn  was 
literally  translated  "  Dominus  "  in  the  Vulgate  and  "  LORD  " 
in  our  English  Bible  (see  p.  34).  At  last  the  Name 
itself  was  only  uttered  in  a  whisper  by  the  High  Priest  on 
the  Day  of  Atonement,  and  came  to  be  regarded  as  alto- 
gether mystical  if  not  magical.     This  reticence  was  a  sad 


156  SEVENTH  TERM. 

symbol  of  the  fresh  joy  of  spiritual  life  sinking  under  the 
pressure  of  superstition.  In  the  same  spirit  the  Samaritans 
replaced  "Jehovah"  by  "Shemeh,"  which  means  "the 
Name." 

Esther  is  the  only  book  in  the  Bible  where  the  Name  of 
God  does  not  occur.  But  in  the  Hebrew  text  the  four 
letters  of  the  name  Jehovah  are  found  four  times  (Esth. 
i.  20,  v.  4,  13,  vii.  7),  and  the  five  letters  of  the  name 
Ehyeh  (Exod.  iii.  14,  R.V.  margin)  once  (Esth.  vii.  5),  in 
an  acrostic  form.  These  sentences  are  the  pivots  of  the 
whole  story,  the  arrangement  of  letters  is  in  each  case 
too  ingenious  to  be  accidental,  and  three  ancient  MSS. 
emphasize  these  letters  in  all  the  five  passages.  All  this  goes 
to  prove  that  the  sacred  Name  was  thus  buried  designedly 
in  a  book,  which  is  remarkable  throughout  for  "  that  under- 
current of  faith  which  refers  all  to  the  Providence  of  Him 
whose  name  is  never  mentioned."  The  nearest  literary 
parallel  I  know  of  is  the  signature  Cynewulf,  Bishop  of 
Lindisfarne,  put  to  his  "  Elena." 

VIII.  Man's  Relation  to  God  in  Worship. 

When  in  538  the  Persians  became  masters  of  Jerusalem, 
they  ordered  the  re-building  of  the  Temple  in  such  generous 
terms  that  the  descendants  of  those  who  had  reared  the 
Tabernacle  with  the  spoils  of  Egypt  enriched  the  Second 
Temple  with  the  free-will  offerings  of  Assyria.  When  in 
480  the  Persians  became  masters  of  Athens,  they  wrecked 
its  national  sanctuary,  the  Parthenon,  and,  as  recent  exca- 
vations on  the  Acropolis  have  proved,  smashed  all  its 
exquisite  statuary  into  ten  thousand  fragments.  These 
two  different  effects  were  produced  by  the  same  cause,  the 
Persian  religion,  which  took  its  name  from  Zoroaster  or 
Zarathustra,  round  whom  the  mists  of  ages  have  now 
gathered  so  thickly  that  scholars  are  not  agreed  as  to 
whether  he  was  an  enlightened  human  teacher  (some  have 
ventured  to  fancy  him  Daniel's  pupil)  who  was  ultimately 
regarded  as  a  god,  or  a  mythical  god  whom  time  trans- 
formed into  a  man.  (See  Darmesteter's  Zend-avesta). 
His  followers  worshipped  without  idolatry  one  supreme 
God,  all  good  and  all  knowing,  Ahura  Mazda.     The  Evil 


MAN'S  RELATION  TO   GOD  IN  WORSHIP.  157 

One,  they  said,  is  at  war  with  Him,  and  men  must  range 
themselves  on  one  side  or  other  in  the  conflict,  which  will 
end  in  the  triumph  of  good.  (Both  the  creed  and  the  race 
who  professed  it  are  now  represented  by  the  Parsis  who 
1 1 00  years  ago  took  refuge  from  religious  persecution  in 
India,  whence  their  creed  had  originally  sprung  1400  years 
before.)  That  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  that  He  is  One,  had 
been  far  more  fully  revealed  to  the  Jews  ages  before,  yet 
they  had  worshipped  Him  idolatrously  and  gone  after  false 
gods.  They  never  repeated  these  sins  after  the  Captivity, 
and  the  extinction  of  them  may  be  attributed  not  only  to 
the  wholesome  discipline  of  sorrow,  to  the  substitution  of 
priestly  for  kingly  rule,  and  to  the  new  zeal  of  the  teachers 
of  God's  law  ;  but  also  to  the  influence  of  Zoroastrianism, 
which  Judaism  probably  influenced  in  its  turn,  and  to  the 
impressive  sight  of  the  destruction  of  Babylon's  imposing 
idolatries  by  the  Persian  iconoclasts,  as  Isaiah  had  foretold 
in  days  when  they  seemed  invincible  (Isa.  xxi.  9,  xlvi.  1,  2)., 
So  while  the  corrupted  religion  of  the  Ten  Tribes  does 
not  seem  to  have  survived  their  transportation,  the  faith  of 
the  Two,  cherished  by  faithful  Kings,  Priests,  and  Prophets, 
preserved  their  inextinguishable  nationality,  while  its  own 
preservation  became  henceforth  the  great  end  of  the  restored 
nation.  Those  three  great  historic  offices  were  no  longer 
what  they  had  been.  Zerubbabel's  kingship  was  a  mere 
shadow  of  the  old  royal  rule.  Zechariah's  last  vision  (Zech. 
vi.)  had  shown  how  in  Maccabaean  days  it  was  to  be  merged 
in  the  priesthood.  The  crown  is  set  on  Joshua,  not  on 
Zerubbabel.  "  That  would  have  been  confusing  ;  a  seeming 
restoration  of  the  kingdom  when  it  was  not  to  be  restored  ; 
an  encouragement  of  the  temporal  hopes  which  were  the 
bane  of  Israel "  {Pusey).  The  prophetic  order  had  done 
its  work  of  expunging  from  God's  worship  the  popular 
heathenism.  Habakkuk,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  and  Zechariah 
had  blended  its  ideal  (Micah  vi.  8)  with  the  priestly  ideal 
(Lev.  xix.  2),  and  now  the  prophets  and  the  condition  de- 
scribed in  Amos  iii.  7  had  passed  away,  and  the  first  effect 
was  an  increased  power  of  the  priests,  who  must  have  been 
almost  as  numerous  in  proportion  to  the  population  in 
Judaea  as  the  ecclesiastics  in  Papal  Rome,  and  whose  persons 
were  almost  as  sacred  to  the  multitude  as  those  of  the 


158  SEVENTH  TERM. 

Brahmins  to  the  Hindus  now.  But  three  causes  combined 
to  lesson  this  importance  ultimately. 

[a)  The  diminished  glory  of  the  Temple.  If  the  decree 
recorded  in  Ezra  vi.  was  carried  out,  the  Second  Temple  must 
have  been  larger  than  Solomon's,  and  its  worship  was  more 
elaborate.  It  is  characteristic  of  the  age  that,  through  the 
Psalms  we  know  more  about  its  worship  than  about  its  walls, 
more  of  its  liturgy  than  of  its  structure.  But  the  Holy  of 
Holies  was  empty.  The  Ark,  for  which  the  restored  sacred 
vessels  were  but  a  poor  substitute,  and  round  which  their 
religion  had  centred  for  nine  centuries,  had  been  carried  up 
to  heaven  (Rev.  xi.  19),  swallowed  up  by  the  earth,  taken 
by  an  angel  to  some  secret  place,  hidden  on  Gerizim  to 
be  found  there  at  Messiah's  coming  (according  to  the 
Samaritans),  buried  on  Mount  Nebo  by  Jeremiah  in  a  place 
that  should  not  be  known  until  God  gathered  His  people 
again  together  (2  Mace,  ii.),  or  laid  up  in  the  mysterious 
caverns  of  the  Temple  rock,  once  Araunah's  granary 
(1  Chron.  xxi.  20),  where  the  wood  was  stored,  by  Josiah 
(a  curious  inference  from  2  Chron.  xxxv.  3)  or  by  Jeremiah. 
Such  were  the  six  various  traditions  about  it,  and  as  no 
one  has  entered  the  Temple  caverns  for  ages  it  may  be 
there  still. 

(J?)  The  dispersion  of  the  Jews,  through  which  Jehovah's 
worship  was  no  longer  associated  only  with  the  soil  of 
Palestine  as  it  had  once  been  (1  Sam.  xxvi.  19).  When 
a  compact  state  had  given  place  to  a  scattered  church, 
Synagogues,  originating  probably  in  the  religious  meetings 
of  the  captives  in  Babylon,  became  numerous,  and  were 
"the  inspiring  soul  and  abiding  nurture  of  Judaism" 
(Geikie).  Finding  out  the  inevitable  results  of  withdrawal 
from  all  ordinary  religious  privileges  (which  are  too  often 
illustrated  in  our  remote  colonies  now),  the  exiles,  whose 
two  saving  influences  at  first  had  been  the  personal  teaching 
of  Ezekiel  and  the  literary  teaching  of  the  Psalms,  deter- 
mined that  wherever  ten  Jews  settled  a  congregation  must 
be  formed,  if  only  in  a  little  river-side  oratory  (Acts  xvi.  13). 
So  the  synagogue  gradually  grew  up,  though  we  find 
few  mentions  of  it  until  after  the  Maccabaean  war.  To  a 
great  extent  its  ritual  reproduced  that  of  the  Temple,  but 
it  had  neither  sacrifices  nor  priests.     The  public  worship 


MAN'S  RELATION  TO   GOD   IN  WORSHIP.  159 

which  was  now  the  chief  witness  to  God's  Presence  among 
them  was  conducted  by  laymen  learned  in  the  Law,  and 
consisted  chiefly  of  prayer,  a  short  sermon,  and,  above  all, 
that  stated  reading  of  the  Law  which  had  been  inaugurated 
by  Moses  and  firmly  established  by  Ezra.  When  the 
Syrian  persecution  made  copies  of  the  Law  scarce,  a  second 
lesson  from  the  Prophets  was  added  to  the  daily  service 
(Luke  iv.  16,  17). 

(c)  The  supplanting  of  the  hierarchy  of  caste  by  the 
hierarchy  of  education.  The  Scribes  originally  were  re- 
gistrars or  clerks  (Jer.  Hi.  25)  and  royal  secretaries  (2  Kings 
xii.  10).  Hezekiah  seems  to  have  employed  them  first 
in  transcribing  and  preserving  ancient  writings  (Prov. 
xxv.  1),  and  from  the  times  of  Baruch  and  Ezra  their  main 
work  was  handing  down,  expounding  and  enforcing  the 
words  of  God,  no  longer  a  living  voice  through  His  prophets, 
but  fixed  in  a  Book  whose  growing  value  to  the  Jew  may 
best  be  estimated  from  Psalm  cxix.,  "  the  golden  alphabet 
of  Hebrew  faithfulness."  To  these  scribes  (or  "  lawyers  " 
to  call  them  by  their  less  official  name)  the  ancient  authority 
of  priest  and  prophet  was  transmitted  ;  and  our  modern 
clergy  as  "  messengers,  watchmen,  and  stewards  of  the 
Lord  "  {Ordering  of  Priests)  go  back  rather  to  Ezra's  pulpit 
than  to  Samuel's  college  or  to  Aaron's  altar. 

All  Christians  are  spoken  of  as  kings  and  priests,  God 
still  makes  known  His  truth  to  them  by  the  Holy  Spirit  as 
He  did  to  the  prophets  of  old  ;  the  princes  of  Christendom 
"  rule  all  states  and  degrees  committed  to  their  charge  by 
God"  (Article  XXXVII.),  and  "from  the  Apostles'  time 
there  have  been  orders  of  ministers  in  Christ's  Church  "  for  its 
regulation  as  an  organised  society.  But  the  Church  owns 
no  earthly  supreme  head,  offers  no  daily  sacrifice  for  sins, 
and  acknowledges  no  new  prophetic  messages  from  God. 
Christ  only  is  our  King,  Priest,  and  Prophet  in  the  full 
sense  of  these  words  now.  The  modification  of  those  three 
ancient  offices  after  536  already  foreshadows  "  the  more 
excellent  ministry  "  and  "  the  better  covenant "  yet  to  come 
(Heb.  viii.  6). 

From  the  Post-Exilian  Jews  we  may  learn  much  con- 
cerning zeal  for  God's  honour  and  love  for  God's  word. 
But  while  every  error  in  religion  is  the  distortion  of  a  truth, 


160  SEVENTH  TERM. 

there  is  no  religious  truth  that  has  not  at  some  time  been 
distorted  into  an  error.  The  intensely  national  character 
of  their  religion  degenerated  into  a  haughty  spirit  of  exclu- 
siveness  and  an  arrogant  assumption  of  superiority  to  all 
other  men.  They  doubted  that  a  Jew  could  be  lost  or  a 
Gentile  saved,  and  the  Book  of  Sifri  in  the  Talmud  maintains 
that  "a  single  Israelite  is  of  more  worth  in  God's  sight 
than  all  the  nations  of  the  world."  Their  zeal  for  the  law 
of  Moses,  which  had  never  been  so  rigidly  observed,  degene- 
rated into  a  hardening  of  living  principles  to  dead  rules. 
Their  three  favourite  maxims  were  :  Be  discreet  in  judging, 
Train  up  many  scholars,  Make  a  hedge  around  the  Law. 
That  hedge  of  elaborate  tradition  not  only  emphasized  and 
fixed  the  Law,  but  gradually  choked  it  with  formulas  and 
mere  external  observances.  "  It  is  a  well-known  principle 
in  history  that  when  the  ceremonial  is  elevated  to  the  same 
rank  with  the  moral,  the  fetter  will  soon  be  lost  sight  of" 
{Stalker),  and  so  "  duty  had  ceased  to  be  infinite."  All  these 
types  of  degeneracy  illustrate  and  are  abundantly  illustrated 
by  the  New  Testament. 

IX.  Questions. 
(See  p.  13,  18.) 

[Questions  II.,  V.,  VIL,  IX.,  XL,  XII. ,  XVI.,  XVIII.,  XXIIL,  XXVIII., 
and  XXXI.,  may  be  answered  with  help  of  any  books.] 

I.  Find  three  lists  of  precious  stones  in  the  Bible.     (3.) 

II.  Illustrate  Ezek.  xxxiv.  by  quoting  20  other  passages 
from  the  Old  and  New  Testament  in  which  God's  relation 
to  man  is  spoken  of  under  the  same  metaphor.     (15.) 

III.  Without  referring  to  Daniel's  book,  prove  that  its 
author  was  a  prophet  and  a  man  of  faith,  very  wise  and 
very  righteous.  What  passages  in  Daniel  are  quoted  or 
referred  to  in  the  New  Testament?     (12.) 

IV.  Consider  Daniel  as  a  type  of  Christ.  Do  you  agree 
with  the  statement  that  he  is  "  the  most  perfect  of  all  Scrip- 
ture characters  "  ?     (15.) 

V.  What  may  we  learn  from  the  writings  of  this  period 
as  to  the  nature  and  ministry  of  angels  ?  Of  how  many 
archangels  do  we  hear  in  Scripture?     (12.) 

VI.  Give  a  very  concise  history  of  what  occurred  between 


QUESTIONS.  161 

B.C.  1 92 1   and  B.C.  1490  in  quotations  from  {not  references 
to)  the  Psalms  of  this  period.     (15.) 

VII.  Did  those  who  returned  from  the  Captivity  represent 
twelve  tribes  or  two  ?     (9.) 

VIII.  The  Second  Temple  was  built  "  according  to  the 
command  of  God  and  the  decree  of  Cyrus,"  both  issued 
before  the  Return.  Which  prophet  pictured  its  establish- 
ment, and  where  do  we  find  the  decree  completely 
quoted  ?     (2.) 

IX.  Briefly  enumerate  the  particulars  in  which  the 
Second  Temple  differed  from  the  First  Temple.     (8.) 

X.  Give  six  New  Testament  references  showing  what 
constitutes  the  Temple  of  the  Christian  Dispensation.     (6.) 

XL  Of  how  many  Passovers  and  of  what  notable  events 
occurring  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  is  there  record  in  the 
Old  Testament  ?     (9.) 

XII.  Mention  under  descriptive  titles  the  eight  visions 
of  Zech.  i. — vi.,  very  shortly  indicating  the  significance  of 
each.     (24.) 

XIII.  From  what  opposed  monarchs  of  earlier  times 
were  Mordecai  and  Haman  respectively  descended?  How 
is  the  group  of  captives  to  which  Mordecai  belonged 
characterised  by  Jeremiah  ?     (4.) 

XIV.  Explain  why  intermarriage  with  aliens  was  pro- 
hibited to  Israel.     (5.) 

XV.  Name  a  good  man  falsely  accused  of  wishing  to 
make  himself  a  king,  and  find  a  New  Testament  parallel.  (2.) 

XVI.  How  far  was  the  solemn  national  compact  described 
in  Neh.  x.  28-39  observed  afterwards  ?     (5.) 

XVII.  Chronologically,  who  is  the  latest  person  men- 
tioned by  name  in  the  Old  Testament  ?     (2.) 

XVIII.  Illustrate  Heb.  xi.  33-8  from  the  history  of  the 
period  from  B.C.  606  to  A.D.  1.     (16.) 

XIX.  Where  is  common  prayer  first  mentioned  as  part 
of  the  public  worship  of  God  ?  Show  that  prayer  became 
more  and  ritual  less  important  after  the  Captivity.     (6.) 

XX.  Where  do  these  expressions  first  occur  :  "  the  Jews," 
"  the  Holy  Land,"  "  the  Holy  City  "  ?     (6.) 

XXI.  Eight  rebellious  questions  are  asked  by  the  Jews 
in  answer  to  God's  pleadings  through  Malachi.  Quote  in 
each  case  the  pleading  and  the  question.     (4.) 

II 


162  SEVENTH  TERM. 

XXII.  Find  eight  New  Testament  quotations  from 
Haggai,  Zechariah,  and  Malachi.     (8.) 

XXIII.  Explain  briefly  the  following  passages: — Ezek. 
xxviii.  14  ;  Dan.  iii.  25  ;  Neh.  viii.  8  ;  Hag.  i.  2  ;  Zech. 
i.  21,  viii.  19,  ix.  13,  xii.  11,  xiii.  6 ;  Mai.  iv.  6.     (30.) 

XXIV.  What  allusions  are  therein  the  prophets  of  this 
period  to  {a)  the  Garden  of  Eden,  (U)  the  institution  of 
marriage,  (c)  Abraham,  id)  Esau,  (e)  the  Exodus,  (/)  the 
Law  given  on  Horeb,  (g)  David,  (h)  Alexander  the  Great, 
(z)  the  Maccabees.     (14.) 

XXV.  Make  a  list  of  the  chief  names  of  God  in  the 
writings  of  this  period.     (30.) 

XXVI.  Quote  ten  sentences  from  Psalm  cxix.  (R.V.)  in 
which  the  Scriptures  are  called  by  ten  different  names.    (5.) 

XXVII.  Name  the  only  historical  Old  Testament  book 
in  which  Palestine  is  not  referred  to,  and  the  only  prophetic 
book  that  contains  no  clear  Messianic  allusion.     (2.) 

XXVIII.  Find  the  earliest  Biblical  allusions  to  (a)  the 
King  of  Assyria,  (&)  Nineveh,  (c)  the  Chaldeans,  (cf)  Babylon, 
(e)  Persia,  (/)  the  Grecians,  (g)  the  Romans,  (h)  Cyprus, 
(i)  Spain,  (j)  India,  (k)  China,  (/)  The  ancestors  of  the 
present  nations  of  Europe.  (Those  in  italics  are  mentioned 
under  other  names.)     (12.) 

XXIX.  From  the  Old  Testament  prophets  generally 
quote  passages  enforcing  the  fourth  commandment.     (7.) 

XXX.  From  the  Old  Testament  prophets  generally 
quote  passages  anticipating  the  "  mystery "  spoken  of  in 
Eph.  iii.  3-6,  and  give  six  Old  Testament  instances  of 
Gentiles  spiritually  blest  by  contact  with  the  Chosen 
People.     (16.) 

XXXI.  From  the  direct  prophecies  (not  general  allusions) 
in  the  Old  Testament  construct  a  description  of  the 
Messiah's  character,  offices,  and  life  on  earth.     (70.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — (a)  "The 
light  dwelleth  with  Him."  (b)  "  Light  is  sown  for  the 
righteous."  (c)  "  I  will  curse  your  blessings."  (d)  "  God 
turned  the  curse  into  a  blessing."  (e)  "  There  shall  be  no 
more  curse."  (/)  "  I  will  make  them  a  blessing."  (g)  "  Thou 
hast  made  me  glad  through  Thy  work."  (/i)  "  The  Lord 
hath  made  them  joyful."  (*)  "  The  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your 
strength."     (J)  "  The   day  that   I  do   make."     (k)   "  Who 


QUESTIONS.  163 

maketh  winds  His  messengers."  (/)  "  Boys  and  girls  play- 
ing in  the  streets."  (iji)  "  A  people  near  unto  Him." 
(n)  "  Satisfied  with  good."  (0)  "  Every  one  unto  his  work." 
(J>)  "  Be  strong  and  work."  (q)  "  Show  the  house."  (r)  Love 
truth  and  peace."  (s)  "  Teach  ye  him  that  knoweth  not." 
(t)  "  O  that  ye  would  hear  His  voice."  (u)  "  In  their 
security  shall  he  destroy  many."  (v)  "We  are  His." 
(w)  "  Because  they  wrought  for  Me."  (x)  "  In  his  hand 
shall  be  destruction."  (jy)  "  I  shall  not  die,  but  live." 
(z)  "  Righteousness  shall  make  His  footsteps  a  way  to  walk 
in."     (26.) 

For  Second  Series  of  Questions,  see  p.  309. 


164  SEVENTH  TERM. 


The  Six  Centuries  from  Judah's  Fall  to  the 
Birth  of  Christ. 

(i)  B.C.  606 — 536  (70  years).       The  Subjection  to  Babylon 

(2)  B.C.  536 — 332  (204  years).     T J te  Domination  of  Persia. 

(3)  B.C.  332 — 301  (31  years).    The  Domination  of  Macedon. 

(4)  B.C.  301 — 198  (103  years).     The  Domination  of  Egypt. 

(5)  B.C.  198 — 168  (30  years).      The  Domination  of  Syria. 

(6)  B.C.  168 — 63  (105  years).  Independence  under  the 
Asmoneans. 

(7)  B.C.  63 — 4  (59  years).     The  Domination  of  Rome. 

"  The  great  epochs  of  revelation  are  widely  separated 
by  ages  which  serve  at  once  for  seed-time  and  harvest " 
(  Westcott).  Such  were  the  periods  of  silence  before  Abraham's 
Call  and  the  missions  of  Moses,  Samuel,  and  the  Baptist, 
when  God  no  longer  spoke  directly  to  men,  but  left  them  to 
themselves  to  live  out  the  law  He  had  already  given.  We 
must  acquire  some  knowledge  of  the  four  centuries  of  Divine 
silence  which  form  the  last  of  these  periods,  if  we  would 
understand  the  state  of  affairs  when  our  Lord  came.  Four 
centuries  never  brought  about  a  greater  change  in  any 
country  than  they  brought  about  then  in  Palestine.  The 
literature  of  this  age,  which  we  call  the  Apocrypha,  is  far 
less  familiar  than  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment, for  it  was  not  placed  in  the  Canon  by  the  Jews 
or  by  the  Church,  in  accordance  with  the  well-established 
principle  "  no  living  Prophet,  no  further  Scripture."  The 
character  and  names  of  its  various  books  are  given  in  the 
Sixth  Article,  each  is  described  in  §  vi.  of  "  Oxford  Helps," 
and  the  books  themselves  are  bound  up  with  many  old 
Bibles.  External  and  internal  evidence  both  place  it  on  a 
lower  level  than  the  Canon,  but  it  forms  a  valuable  link 
between  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  so  we  do  well  to 
make  some  acquaintance  with  it.  Its  most  noteworthy  books 
are,  from  the  historical  point  of  view,  1  and  2  Maccabees ; 
and  from  the  literary  point  of  view,  Ecclesiasticus,  represent- 
ing the  Hebraic  Judaism  of  Palestine,  and  full  of  practical 
piety  and  wise  humanity  ;  and    Wisdom,  representing  the 


FROM  JUDAH'S  FALL   TO   CHRIST'S  BIRTH.        165 

Hellenistic  Judaism  of  Alexandria,  and  full  of  earnest 
thought  and  high  philosophy,  the  last  and  fairest  growth  of 
Judaism.  There  is  no  certain  reference  to  an  Apocryphal 
book  in  the  recorded  words  of  Christ,  but  S.  James  in  his 
short  Epistle  refers  five  times  to  Wisdom  and  1 5  times  to 
Ecclesiasticus,  and  there  are  other  traces  of  the  Apocrypha 
in  the  New  Testament 

We  will  now  look  at  this  period  of  history,  taking  for  our 
guide  Dan.  xi.,  whose  circumstantial  details  of  the  first  240 
years  make  it  unlike  any  other  Old  Testament  prophecy. 
Its  picture  of  Judah's  suzerains  passes  by  a  transition  hard 
to  mark  into  a  far-reaching  vision  of  the  end  of  the  world. 
This  outline  should  be  compared  with  §  xiii.  of  "  Oxford 
Helps,"  and  also,  if  possible,  with  some  such  account  of 
the  period  as  those  in  Smith's  "  New  Testament  History," 
Angus's  "  Handbook,"  Milman's  "  History  of  the  Jews," 
Westcott's  "  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  the  Gospels,"  or 
Stanley's  "  Jewish  Church,"  vol.  iii. 

Perfect  religious  liberty  and  sympathy  with  their  rulers, 
born  of  a  common  monotheism  and  hatred  of  idolatry,  made 
the  Persian  Domination  one  of  the  happiest  periods  of  Jewish 
history.  Of  the  century  following  NehemiahVrule  we  know 
almost  nothing.  Then  the  young  Greek  conqueror  of  the 
world,  whose  career  is  vividly  pictured  in  Daniel,  and  who 
believed  himself  to  be  the  Heaven-sent  reconciler  and  paci- 
ficator of  all  mankind,  spared  and  favoured  Judaea,  and 
linked  East  and  West  in  a  bond  which  has  never  since  been 
broken,  thus  preparing  the  way  for  Christianity  with  its 
Eastern  cradle  and  its  Western  throne.  His  work  was  per- 
petuated in  Alexandria,  the  city  he  founded  to  bear  his 
name,  a  second  capital  of  the  Jewish  faith  henceforth,  and 
the  common  portal  of  the  East  and  West  to  this  day.  The 
spiritual  gains  of  the  Persian  period  were  followed  by  the 
intellectual  gains  of  the  Greek  period,  and  on  the  banks  of 
the  Nile  a  new  Israel,  trained  in  all  the  wisdom  of  a  new 
Egypt,  arose.  After  Alexander's  death  in  323,  the  maritime 
regions  of  Palestine  were  for  some  20  years  buffeted  in  the 
strife  between  his  successors.  Then  followed  a  peaceful 
century  under  five  Macedonian  Kings  of  Egypt,  whose 
capital  was  Alexandria.  All  are  mentioned  as  "  Kings  of 
the  South  "  in  Dan.  xi.     They  were, — 


166  SEVENTH  TERM. 

(i)  Ptolemy  Soter,  320 — 283  (Dan.  xi.  5). 

(2)  Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  285 — 247  (v.  6). 

(3)  Ptolemy  Euergetes,  247 — 222  (v.  7,  9). 

(4)  Ptolemy  Philopater,  222 — 205  (v.  11). 

(5)  Ptolemy  Epiphanes,  205 — 181  (v.  14). 

Under  Ptolemy  Soter  lived  Simon  the  Just,  the  greatest 
High  Priest  between  Joshua  the  son  of  Jehozadak  and 
Jonathan  the  Asmonean.  He  is  said  to  have  finished 
Ezra's  work  by  completing  the  Old  Testament  Canon  and 
Nehemiah's  work  by  fortifying  the  Temple.  Under  Ptolemy 
Philadelphus  was  produced  the  Septuagint.  The  Greek 
tongue  had  already  proved  itself  the  most  perfect  expression 
of  human  thought  by  becoming  practically  universal,  and 
now  God's  Word  appeared  in  what  was  hereafter  to  be  the 
language  of  the  New  Testament.  The  Septuagint  has  been 
well  called  "  The  first  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles."  Ptolemy 
Philopater  alienated  the  Jews  by  forcing  his  way  into  the 
Holy  of  Holies,  and  cruelly  persecuting  them  when  a  super- 
natural terror  drove  him  forth.  He  was  then  at  war  with 
the  Syrian  king  who  had  just  taken  "  the  well-fenced  city  " 
of  Sidon.  Him  the  Jews  rashly  welcomed  as  a  deliverer, 
and  thus  passed  under  the  sway  of  three  Macedonian 
Kings  of  Syria,  whose  capital  was  Antioch,  and  who  are 
mentioned  in  Dan.  xi.  as  "  Kings  of  the  North."  They 
were, — 

(1)  Antiochus  the  Great,  223 — 187  (Dan.  xi.  10,  15). 

(2)  Seleucus  IV.,  187 — 175  (v.  20). 

(3)  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  175 — 164  (v.  21,  etc.). 

Hitherto  Israel's  foreign  suzerains,  while  exacting  tribute, 
had  respected  their  customs  and  left  the  conduct  of  their 
affairs  to  their  own  princes  and  priests.  To  the  Ptolemies 
their  relations  had  been  almost  wholly  friendly,  and  they 
were  yielding  more  and  more  to  the  spell  of  Greek  art  and 
culture.  But  between  them  and  the  Syrian  Kings  there 
was  antagonism  from  the  beginning,  ending  in  the  wanton 
attempt  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes  (a  half-mad  despot  whose 
character  reappears  in  great  measure  in  Nero  200  years 
later)  to  Hellenise  Judaea  completely,  to  substitute  the 
heathen  "  god  of  fortresses  "  for  the  God  of  Israel,  and  to 
extinguish  their  ancient  religion  by  a  ruthless  persecution, 


FROM  JUDAH'S  FALL  TO   CHRIST'S  BIRTH.        167 

which  proved  in  the  end  its  truest  safeguard.  The  deter- 
mined effort  to  destroy  or  deface  every  copy  of  the  Law 
increased  love  for  God's  Word  and  zeal  for  its  multiplication  ; 
the  determined  effort  to  trample  out  their  nation  roused  an 
indomitable  spirit  of  patriotism,  which  gave  unity  and  com- 
plete independence  to  a  race  that  had  been  a  subject  race 
for  nearly  4 J  centuries.  It  was  for  this  crisis,  which  settled 
whether  the  true  faith  would  perish  or  prevail,  that  the 
wonderful  Book  of  Daniel  had  been  "  sealed  up "  (Dan. 
xii.  4).  "  Its  sword-edge  utterance,  its  piercing  exhortation  to 
endure  in  face  of  the  despot,  and  its  promise  full  of  Divine 
joy  of  near  and  sure  salvation  "  (Ewald)  quickened  their 
courage,  and  its  earliest  glorification  of  the  martyr  spirit 
spoke  to  the  hearts  of  the  first  martyrs  of  whom  history  gives 
us  any  details.  The  story  of  this  great  struggle  for  civil  and 
religious  liberty  is  the  finest  episode  of  the  whole  period. 
Mattathias,  a  descendant  of  Eleazar,  son  of  Aaron,  had  five 
heroic  sons,  who  achieved  Judah's  deliverance  and  founded 
a  family  which  ruled  for  more  than  a  century.  From  its 
ancestor  Chashmon  it  was  called  Asmonean,  or  Maccabaean 
from  a  word  meaning  "  hammer  "  (comp.  Jer.  1.  23,  and 
Charles  Martel),  or  from  the  initials  of  the  first  sentence  of 
Exod.  xv.  11.     These  priestly  rulers  were, — 

(1)  Judas,  166 — 161  ~\ 

(2)  Jonathan,  161  — 143     >  Sons  of  Mattathias. 

(3)  Simon,  143—135    *    ) 

(4)  John  Hyrcanus  L,  135 — 106.     Son  of  Simon. 

(5)  Aristobulus  I.,  106 — 105  )    Sons  of  Hyr- 

(6)  Alexander  Jannaeus,  105 — 78    j    canus  I. 

(7)  Alexandra,  78 — 69.     Widow  of  Jannaeus. 

(8)  Hyrcanus  II.,  3  months   ")    c  r  T 

)  \   a   •  4.  u  i      tt    ^       ^       \    Sons  of  Jannaeus 
9   Anstobulus  II    69-63     V  and  AlexJandra. 

(8)  Hyrcanus  II.,  63—40       ) 

(10)  Antigonus,  40 — 37.     Son  of  Aristobulus  II. 

Judas  is  the  Wrallace  of  Hebrew  history.  No  one  ever 
united  more  generous  valour  with  a  better  cause,  and  of  all 
military  chiefs  he  accomplished  the  largest  ends  with  the 
smallest  means.  As  Israel's  preserver  in  its  extremity,  he  has 
a  place  beside  Moses,  Samuel,  and  David.  In  168  the  stand- 
ard was  raised.    In  167  he  won  decisive  victories  at  Samaria, 


1 68  SEVENTH  TERM. 

Bethhoron  and  Emmaus  in  Philistia,  and  at  Bethzur  in  1 66, 
thus  regaining  the  Temple.  The  crowning  conflict  of  Adasa 
or  Bethhoron,  the  Marathon  of  Jewish  history,  took  place 
in  161,  on  the  scene  of  Joshua's  greatest  triumph  in  1450, 
traditionally  also  the  scene  of  Sennacherib's  destruction  in 
701.  The  army  of  Judas  "advanced  to  victory,"  says  the 
historian,  "  fighting  with  their  hands  and  praying  with  their 
hearts."  In  the  same  year,  the  great  "  Hammer  of  the 
Gentiles "  fell  at  Eleasa,  the  Hebrew  Thermopylae,  dying, 
as  all  his  brothers  did,  a  violent  death. 

The  last  undoubted  representative  of  the  High  Priest 
Joshua  fled  in  167  from  the  desecrated  Temple  to  Egypt, 
and  at  Leontopolis  founded  a  secondary  rather  than  a  rival 
Temple,  to  form  a  religious  centre  for  the  Hellenistic  Jews 
of  the  Dispersion,  thus  professing  to  fulfil  Isa.  xix.  18,  19. 
This  lasted  for  three  centuries.  Great  was  the  degradation 
of  the  high  priesthood,  when  in  162  the  Syrians  gave  it 
to  Alcimus,  who  had  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the 
Hellenising  party.  In  Jonathan,  however,  a  new  and  noble 
line  of  high  priests  was  instituted.  But  alteration  of  a 
succession  which  had  remained  unbroken  for  nearly  900 
years  paved  the  way  for  further  changes,  and  one  Rabbi 
finds  an  explanation  of  Prov.  x.  27  in  the  fact  that  during 
410  years  the  First  Temple  had  18  high  priests,  while  the 
Second  Temple,  during  426  years,  had  more  than  300. 

Simon  snapped  the  last  Syrian  fetter  when  in  142  he 
took  the  citadel  that  over-awed  God's  sanctuary,  and  his 
successor  saw  the  issue  of  a  40  years'  strife  in  the  formal 
recognition  of  Judah's  independence  in  128.  Hyrcanus  L 
also  conquered  her  two  nearest  relatives  and  bitterest 
enemies,  Edom  and  Samaria,  and  in  109  razed  the  rival 
temple  of  Gerizim  to  the  ground,  thus  triumphantly  closing 
the  60  years  of  ecclesiastical  commonwealth  which  form 
the  first  and  best  half  of  the  Maccabaean  age. 

Seventy  years  of  ecclesiastical  monarchy  (the  last  37 
merely  nominal)  followed.  For  the  last  six  Maccabaean 
rulers  assumed  the  title,  not  of  "King  of  Israel,"  but  of 
"  King  of  the  Jews  "  (contrast  John  i.  49  and  Matt,  xxvii.  37), 
the  new  phrase  marking  the  new  character  of  the  monarchy. 
Their  Greek  names  indicate  the  growing  strength  of 
Hellenism.     Already  in  the  reign  of  Hyrcanus  the  party 


FROM  JUDAHS  FALL    TO   CHRIST'S  BIRTH        169 

strife  between  the  two  opposed  sects  of  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees,  henceforth  to  play  so  large  a  part  in  Jewish 
history,  had  begun.  The  self-seeking  ambition  of  the  later 
Asmoneans  led  to  family  discord  and  political  confusion, 
till  Alexander y  grandson  of  the  Simon  whose  wisdom  and 
valour  "  had  made  his  honourable  name  renowned  unto 
the  end  of  the  world,"  was  a  detested  tyrant,  and  six  years 
of  civil  war  between  his  two  sons  ended  in  appeal  to  the 
arbitration  of  Rome.  That  ever  encroaching  and  irresistible 
power  restored  Hyrcanus  II.  to  nominal  rule,  and  from 
B.C.  37  to  A.D.  6  an  Edomite  dependant  of  Rome  and  his 
son  held  imposing  sovereignty  over  Jacob's  descendants. 
But  practically  from  B.C.  63  to  the  awful  close  of  their 
history  as  a  nation,  the  Jews  had  no  king  but  Csesar. 
Aristobulus  III.,  grandson  of  both  Aristobulus  II.  and 
Hyrcanus  II.,  was  the  last  Asmonean  high  priest,  and  his 
beautiful  and  ill-fated  sister  Mariamne,  wife  to  the  Herod 
of  Matt,  ii:  1,  and  grandmother  of  the  Herod  of  Acts  xii.  1, 
and  of  Herodias,  was  the  last  of  her  race.  See  "  Oxford 
Helps,"  §  xxii. 

During  these  six  centuries  Judaism  had  gained  elasticity 
of  shape  without  losing  distinctness  of  principle.  But  its 
hierarchy  had  degenerated  into  a  mere  sect,  its  kingdom 
had  ended  in  foreign  usurpation.  It  had  been  weighed 
and  found  wanting,  yet  "  a  missionary  nation  was  waiting 
to  be  charged  with  a  heavenly  commission,  and  a  world 
had  been  unconsciously  prepared  to  welcome  it." 

To  sum  up.  We  have  seen  the  nation  which  was  chosen 
to  represent  the  whole  race,  created  in  God's  image  (First 
Term),  trained  to  His  likeness  (Second  Term),  made  to 
have  dominion  (Third  and  Fourth  Terms),  falling  and 
thwarting  His  designs  (Fifth  and  Sixth  Terms),  and 
restored  by  His  grace  (Seventh  Term).  215  years  of 
wandering  for  its  ancestors;  215  years  of  bondage  in 
Egypt ;  450  years  of  struggle  for  mastery  in  Palestine  ; 
450  years  of  national  independence  ;  30c  years'  domination 
of  the  East,  i.e.,  of  Babylon  and  Persia ;  300  years' 
domination  of  the  West,  i.e.,  of  Greece  and  Rome  ;  such 
was  the  historical  preparation  of  the  Chosen  People  for  the 
greatest  event  in  human  history. 


THE    PSALMS. 

ARRANGED    IN    THEIR    HISTORICAL    SEQUENCE. 
I.  History  and  Purpose  of  the  Psalms. 

AMID  manifold  differences  of  opinion  and  usage,  all  who 
worship  God  agree  that  their  devotion  may  best  be 
uttered  in  the  words  of  an  ancient  volume  of  poems  which 
we  call  the  PSALMS,  from  a  Greek  word  meaning  songs 
having  a  musical  accompaniment,  which  its  Hebrew  authors 
called  by  the  less  comprehensive  name  of  Tehillim,  that  is, 
Praises  (see  Psalm  cv.  2,  R.V.  and  A.V.).  Sung  or  said  ; 
in  prose  translation  or  metrical  paraphrase  ;  in  the  vulgar 
tongue,  or  in  Hebrew,  Greek,  or  Latin  ;  within  the  stately 
Anglican  cathedral,  enriched  by  the  heritage  of  many  ages, 
yet  ever  adapting  itself  to  the  times  ;  in  the  sternly  simple 
Scottish  kirk  ;  in  the  Nonconformist  chapel,  bared  of  all 
that  does  not  commend  itself  to  a  particular  body  of 
Christians  ;  in  the  Roman  church,  crowded  with  signs  of 
traditional  observance  ;  in  the  Greek  or  Oriental  church, 
which  recalls  to  us  a  yet  dimmer  past  ;  and  in  the  Jewish 
synagogue,  from  whose  ceremonial  that  of  all  Christendom 
sprang,  Psalms  are  sung  fervently,  constantly,  sometimes 
as  the  only,  always  as  the  chief  form  of  spiritual  song. 

We  open  our  Bibles  to  find  a  Bible  within  the  Bible, 
"  an  epitome  of  the  Bible "  (to  quote  the  phrase  of 
Athanasius).  Elsewhere  we  have  God's  words  to  us,  here 
are  our  words  to  God,  our  answer  to  His  revelation  given 
in  the  rest  of  the  Scriptures.  Hence  to  every  age  and 
church,  and  to  each  pious  heart,  this  is  the  best  known 
and  best  loved  part  of  Holy  Writ.  Its  naturalness  and 
simplicity,    its    fresh    joyousness    and    tender    pathos,    its 

170 


HISTORY  AND  PURPOSE   OF  THE  PSALMS.       171 

diversity  and  breadth,  its  fervour  of  feeling  and  depth  of 
thought,  its  sympathy  with  every  mode  of  human  life  and 
every  phase  of  nature,  above  all  its  spirituality,  make  it 
worth  more  and  more  to  the  individual  with  advancing 
years,  and  to  the  race  with  further  evolution  of  the  ages. 
"  What  sadness  and  melancholy  comes  over  me  at  times, 
and  I  find  myself  shedding  tears  like  a  child !  Then 
those  wonderfully  consoling  Psalms  of  David  and  Asaph 
send  a  thrill  of  joy  into  my  whole  being."  So  wrote  in  his 
Journal,  Alexander  Mackay,  pioneer  missionary  to  Uganda, 
when  persecution  was  raging  against  the  church  there  in 
March  1887.  The  Psalms  cannot  lose  their  value  while 
man  longs  for  a  personal  relation  to  God,  and  feels  that 
such  a  relation  is  possible.  Therefore  they  have  ever  been 
an  inspired  manual  of  devotion  in  its  sevenfold  form  : 
(1)  Confession  of  sin;  (2)  Supplication  for  spiritual  gifts  ; 
(3)  Petition  for  temporal  blessings  ;  (4)  Praise  and  thanks- 
giving ;  (5)  Self-dedication  ;  (6)  Intercession  ;  (7)  Medi- 
tation upon  God's  words  and  works.  Nor  are  they  a 
manual  of  devotion  only.  "What  is  there  necessary  for 
man  to  know  which  the  Psalms  are  not  able  to  teach  ?  " 
says  Richard  Hooker.  "  The  choice  and  flower  of  all 
things  profitable  in  other  books,  the  Psalms  do  both  more 
briefly  contain  and  more  movingly  also  express,  by  reason 
of  that  poetical  form  wherewith  they  are  written  "  ("Ecclesias- 
tical Polity,"  Book  V.,  ch.  xxxviii.). 

The  Psalms  were  at  once  the  national  ballads  and 
national  liturgy  of  Israel.  They  form  an  accompaniment 
of  sweetest  music  to  her  whole  history,  from  the  plaintive 
Prayer  of  Moses  to  the  last  burst  of  praise  in  the  restored 
Temple,  or  rather  from  her  birthday  paean  by  the  Red  Sea 
(Exod.  xv.)  to  the  calm  thanksgiving  1500  years  later  in 
the  presence  of  the  Lord's  Christ,  when  the  purpose  of  her 
national  existence  was  fulfilled  (Luke  ii.  29-32).  This 
music  was  not  continuous,  but  specially  enriched  particular 
periods.  Its  chief  age  was  the  age  of  David,  and  the  fact 
that  he  is  the  greatest  lyric  poet  of  the  world  may  account 
for  the  fact  that  Hebrew  poetry  throughout  is  lyric  rather 
than  epic  or  dramatic.  His  rare  genius  mapped  out  the 
path  of  all  its  later  achievements. 

What  use  the  Jews  made  of  this  their  Prayer  Book,  and 


172  THE  PSALMS. 

how  God's  prophets  not  only  sanctioned,  but  commanded 
use  of  music,  vocal  and  instrumental,  in  public  worship,  we 
may  gather  from  2  Chron.  v.  13,  vii.  3,  xx.  19-22,  xxix. 
25-30;  Ezra  iii.  10,  11  ;  Neh.  xi.  17,  xii.  40-47.  We  read 
how  in  the  daily  service  of  the  Second  Temple,  after  the 
prayers  and  the  burnt  offering,  the  meat  offering,  and  the 
offering  of  incense,  and  the  priestly  benediction,  the  silver 
trumpets  sounded  and  the  white-robed  choir  of  Levites, 
standing  on  the  fifteen  steps  between  the  Court  of  Israel 
and  the  Court  of  the  Women,  closed  the  service  by  singing 
with  instrumental  accompaniment  the  Psalm  for  the  day, 
i.e.,  one  of  these  seven  :  xxiv.,  xlviii.,  lxxxii ,  xciv.,  lxxxi., 
xciii.,  xcii. 

Such  was  the  worship  which  the  first  Christians  so 
regularly  attended  (Acts  ii.  42,  R.V.)  and  upon  it  the 
worship  of  the  Church  was  shaped.  The  first  example  of 
Christian  Common  Prayer  we  have  is  based  upon  a  Psalm 
(Acts  iv.  24-30).  Use  of  the  Psalms  in  apostolic  times  is 
shown  in  1  Cor.  xiv.  26  ;  Eph.  v.  19  ;  Col.  iii.  16  ;  James  v. 
13.  In  very  early  days  they  were  sung  by  two  choirs  anti- 
phonally,  as  they  are  sung  in  cathedrals  now,  and  for  1 500 
years  the  Gloria  Patri  has  been  added  to  them  to  express 
the  idea  that  Christians  can  enter  more  fully  into  the 
meaning  of  these  inspired  songs  than  those  who  first  wrote 
and  sang  them.  Luther,  for  instance,  called  his  four 
favourite  Psalms  (xxxii.,  Ii.,  cxxx.,  and  cxliii.)  Pauline, 
saying  they  anticipated  the  great  apostle's  doctrine  that 
our  trust  is  in  God's  forgiving  mercy,  not  in  our  own 
merits.  In  the  Middle  Ages,  when  our  countrymen  had 
only  a  Latin  Bible,  they  had  the  Psalms  in  English,  and 
these  must  have  formed  the  best  spiritual  sustenance  of 
many  a  devout  soul  in  the  ages  we  call  "  dark."  Our 
Prayer  Book  version  is  more  than  350  years  old,  being  from 
Cranmer's  Bible  (1539),  or  more  exactly  Coverdale's  (i  53  5)- 

II.  Authors  of  the  Psalms. 

(1)  MOSES,  who  wrote  Psalm  xc. 

(2)  David  ;  73  Psalms  are  ascribed  to  him  in  the 
headings,  ii.  is  also  called  his  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
x.  is  evidently  his.     Of  these  75,  five  are  probably  of  later 


AUTHORS  OF  THE  PSALMS.  173 

date,  viz.,  lxv.,  ciii.,  cxxii.,  cxxiv.,  and  cxliv.     Hence  we 
may  regard  70  as  really  his. 

(3)  SOLOMON  ;  two  Psalms  are  ascribed  to  him  in  the 
headings,  and  i.,  cxxviii.,  cxxxii.  are  probably  his  also, 
making  five  in  all. 

(4)  Asaph  ;  twelve  Psalms  are  ascribed  to  him,  of  which 
1.,  lxxiii.,  and  lxxvii.  are  almost  certainly  his,  and  also  most 
probably  lxxviii.,  lxxxi.,  and  lxxxii.  The  other  six  seem 
to  be  of  later  date,  of  his  school  rather  than  his. 

(5)  HEMAN  ;  lxxxviii.  is  ascribed  to  him,  and  eleven  are 
of  his  school,  viz.,  Korahite. 

(6)  Ethan  ;  to  him  lxxxix.  is  ascribed.  On  the  last 
three  authors  a  few  notes  may  be  added.  When  David 
first  organised  a  full  choral  service  for  Divine  worship,  he 
set  apart  for  its  maintenance  the  following  three  families  of 
prophets  and  singers,  one  from  each  of  the  Levite  tribes. 
They  were  like  the  "  colleges  "  of  bards  in  other  nations. 

(a)  Of  the  tribe  of  Gershon,  the  sons  of  Asaph.  1  Chron. 
xxv.  1-6;  2  Chron.  v.  12,  xx.  14,  xxix.  13,  14,  xxxv.  15;  Ezra 
ii.  41,  iii.  10  ;  Neh.  vii.  44,  xi.  17,  22,  xii.  35.  At  their  head 
was  Asaph,  the  son  of  Berachiah,  a  prophet  (Matt.  xiii.  35) 
and  musical  composer,  who  is  placed  on  a  par  with  David 
himself.  Joah,  Hezekiah's  chronicler,  seems  to  have  been 
his  descendant.  1  Chron.  vi.  39,  xv.  17,  19,  xvi.  4-7,  37-42  ; 
2  Chron.  xxix.  30,  xxxv.  1 5  ;  Neh.  xii.  46  ;  2  Kings  xviii. 
18,  37  ;  Isa.  xxxvi.  3,  22.  (b)  Of  the  tribe  of  Kohath,  the 
Korahites,  or  Korathites,  descendants  of  Korah,  Kohath's 
grandson  (Num.  xvi.  1),  also  called  sons  of  Heman 
1  Chron.  ix.  19,  xii.  6.  At  their  head  was  Heman,  son  of 
Joel,  and  grandson  of  Samuel,  king's  seer  in  the  words  of 
God,  and  singer.  He  is  probably  to  be  identified  with 
Heman  the  Ezrahite  (i.e.,  descendant  of  Zerah,  son  of 
Judah),  who  was  famed  for  his  wisdom.  His  Levite  ancestor 
may  have  married  a  Judaean  heiress,  when  he  would  be 
reckoned  in  both  tribes.  1  Kings  iv.  31  ;  1  Chron.  ii.  6, 
vi.  33,  xxv.  5,  6.  (c)  Of  the  tribe  of  Merari,  the  sons  of 
Jeduthun.  At  their  head  was  Ethan,  or  Jeduthun,  son  of 
Kishi,  king's  seer  and  singer,  probably  to  be  identified 
with  the  wise  Ethan  the  Ezrahite.  1  Chron.  vi.  44 
(References  in  which  more  than  one  of  these  psalmists  or 
schools  are  named  are  given  once  only.) 


174  THE  PSALMS. 

Of  the  101  Psalms  with  headings  we  have  now  assigned 
96  to  their  authors,  and  we  have  attributed  five  of  the  49 
anonymous  Psalms  to  David  or  Solomon.  This  leaves 
five  doubtfully  headed,  and  44  anonymous,  of  whose  author- 
ship no  definite  account  can  be  given. 

III.  The  Division  of  the  Psalter  into  Five  Books. 

This  division  may  have  been  suggested  by  the  five  books 
of  Moses,  and  of  the  Prophets.  (The  Jews  reckoned  the 
twelve  minor  prophets  as  one  book.)  The  five  books  of 
Psalms  are  roughly  chronological,  and  were  probably  formed 
in  succession.  Each  closes  with  a  doxology.  They  are 
discriminated  in  the  R.V. 

BOOK  i  (Psalm  i. — xli.)  is  the  original  Psalter,  and  was 
probably  formed  by  Solomon.  Jehovah  occurs  272  times, 
and  Elohim  15  times  in  it.  It  contains  39  Psalms  by 
David,  one  by  Solomon  (?),  and  one  anonymous. 

BOOK  2  (Psalm  xlii. — lxxii.)  may  have  been  compiled 
later  by  Solomon  ;  others  refer  its  formation  to  Hezekiah. 
Elohim  occurs  five  times  as  often  as  Jehovah  in  it.  It 
contains  17  Psalms  by  David,  one  by  Solomon,  one  by 
Asaph,  eight  Korahite,  and  four  anonymous. 

BOOK  3  (Psalm  lxxiii. — lxxxix.)  may  have  been  compiled 
by  Hezekiah  or  perhaps  by  Josiah.  Elohim  and  Jehovah 
occur  equally  often.  It  is  liturgical  in  character,  and 
contains  one  Psalm  by  David,  one  by  Ethan,  eleven 
Asaphite,  and  four  Korahite. 

BOOK  4  (Psalm  xc. — cvi.)  was  probably  compiled  after  the 
Captivity.  Jehovah  is  the  dominant  name.  It  contains 
one  Psalm  by  Moses,  one  by  David,  and  fifteen  anonymous. 

BOOK  5  (Psalm  cvii. — cl.)  may  have  been  compiled  by 
Ezra.  It  is  mainly  liturgical,  and  uses  Jehovah  chiefly 
It  contains  twelve  Psalms  by  David,  three  by  Solomon  (?), 
and  29  anonymous. 

IV.  Psalms  not  in  the  Psalter. 

Of  these  there  are  about  25  in  the  Old  Testament  and 
three  in  the  New  Testament :  viz.,  four  by  Moses  (Exod.  xv. ; 
Num.  xxi.  14,  15,  and  17,  18;  and  Deut.  xxxii.),  one  by 
Deborah  (Judg.  v.),  one  by  Hannah  (1   Sam    ii.),  four  by 


THE  HEADINGS  TO   THE  PSALMS.  175 

David  (2  Sam.  L,  xxii.,  xxiii.  ;  1  Chron.  xvi.),  two  by 
Isaiah  (Isa.  xii.  and  xxvi.),  ten  short  prayers  by  Jeremiah, 
one  by  Jonah,  one  by  Habakkuk,  and  one  by  Hezekiah 
(Isa.  xxxviii.),  one  by  the  Virgin  Mary,  one  by  Zacharias, 
and  one  by  Simeon  (Luke  i.,  ii.).  Nearly  all  these  are 
easily  discriminated  in  the  R.V.  The  five  other  poetical 
Books  of  the  Old  Testament  may  each  be  regarded  as  the 
expansion  of  a  Psalm,  cp.  Job  and  Psalm  xxxix. ;  the 
Song  of  Songs  and  Psalm  xlv.  ;  Proverbs  and  Psalm  i  ; 
Ecclesiastes  and  Psalm  xc. ;  Lamentations  and  Psalm  lxxix. 

V.  The  Headings  to  the  Psalms. 

The  authors  of  the  Septuagint  (the  Greek  translation  of 
the  Old  Testament  made  in  B.C.  285,  and  often  referred  to 
as  the  LXX.),  evidently  did  not  understand  all  the  head- 
ings to  the  Psalms,  which  must  therefore  be  older  than  the 
LXX.  Some  were  probably  affixed  by  the  authors,  others 
later  from  conjecture  or  tradition.  The  most  thorough 
and  cautious  scholars  hesitate  about  setting  them  aside,  save 
in  a  few  cases  where  internal  evidence  is  clearly  against 
them.  Four  insufficient  reasons  for  rejecting  a  larger 
number  have  been  given.  (1)  That  these  Psalms  contain 
words  and  grammatical  forms  of  later  date  than  that 
assigned  to  them.  Our  knowledge  of  the  stages  of  Hebrew, 
and  of  the  possible  modernisations  of  copyists,  is  too 
slender  to  warrant  the  sweeping  conclusions  sometimes 
based  on  considerations  of  this  kind.  (2)  That  the  word 
"temple"  must  refer  to  Solomon's  building.  But  see 
1  Sam.  iii.  3.  (3)  That  definite  hope  for  the  future  life  is 
later  than  the  time  of  David.  This  is  pure  assumption. 
See  2  Sam.  xii.  23.  (4)  That  all  acrostic  forms  are  late. 
Of  this  there  is  no-  clear  proof,  and  at  least  two  acrostics 
contain  strong  indications  of  David's  authorship. 

The  Hebrew  headings  are  explained  in  so  many  books 
that  I  need  only  say  here  that  Nehiloth,  Neginoth,  and 
Gittith  refer  to  musical  instruments.  Sheminith,  Alamoth, 
Higgaion,  Shiggaion,  and  Selah  are  musical  directions. 
Muth-labben,  Aijeleth  S/ia/iar,  Shoshannim,  Skushan-Edutkt 
Mahalath,  Leannoth,  Al-tashhetJi,  and  perhaps  Jonath  elem 
rehokim,  are  names  of  well-known  tunes  to  which  the 
Psalms  in  question  were  to  be  sung. 


176  THE  PSALMS. 

Six  Psalms  (xvi.,  lvi.-lx.)  are  called  Micktam,  which  means 
either  "  a  golden  song,"  one  of  special  richness  and  beauty  ; 
or  "  a  mystery,"  one  of  deep  import.  Thirteen  (xxxii., 
xlii.,  xliv.,  xlv.  lii.-lv.,  lxxiv.,  lxxviii.,  lxxxviii.,  lxxxix.,  cxlii.) 
are  called  Maschil,  meaning  didactic,  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  instruction.  Fifty-five  are  addressed  to  the  Chief 
Musician,  that  is,  the  choirmaster  or  precentor.  These  are 
liturgical  adaptations  of  the  psalmist's  personal  experience 
to  the  congregation.  Fifteen  short  Psalms  (cxx.-cxxxiv.) 
of  singular  tenderness  and  beauty  form  a  Psalter  within  the 
Psalter,  and  are  called  Songs  of  Ascents  or  Pilgrim  Songs, 
either  because  they  were  sung  by  the  people  going  up  to 
the  great  feasts  (Isa.  xxx.  29),  or  by  the  captives  returning 
to  the  Holy  City,  or  by  the  Levites  on  the  fifteen  steps  in 
the  Temple.  Fifteen  begin  or  end  with  HallelujaJi  (civ.-cvi., 
cxi.-cxiii.,  cxv.-cxvii.,  cxxxv.,  cxlvi.-cl.).  Four  begin  with 
Hodu  (which  means  "  give  thanks  "),  and  may  be  termed 
Eucharistic  Psalms  (cv.,  cvii.,  cxviii.,  cxxxvi.). 

Six  are  characterised  as  New  Songs  (xxxiii.,  xl.,  xcvi., 
xcviii.,  cxliv.,  cxlix.  See  Isa.  xlii.  10 ;  Rev.  v.  9,  xiv.  3). 
Six  are  Morning  Hymns  (iii.,  v.,  xix.,  lvii.,  lxiii.,  cviii.),  and 
three  are  Evening  Hymns  (iv.,  viii.,  cxliii.).  These  nine  are 
all  David's.  Five  are  called  Prayers,  viz.,  three  of  David's 
(xvii.,  lxxxvi.,  cxlii.)  ;  also  xc.  and  cii.  Two  (xxxviii., 
lxx.)  are  entitled  "  To  bring  to  remembrance  or  record" 
(1  Chron.  xvi.  4),  which  may  mean  "to  remind  God  of 
man."    See  Psalm  cvi.  4  ;  Rev.  viii.  4  ;  Acts  x.  4  ;  Lev.  ii.  2. 

Seven  from  early  times  have  been  reckoned  Penitential 
(cii.,  cxxx.,  and  five  by  David,  vi.,  xxxii.,  xxxviii.,  Ii.,  and 
cxliii.).  Three  are  Imprecatory,  that  is,  they  call  down 
Divine  judgment  upon  the  wicked  (xxxv.,  lxix.,  cix.). 
As  the  language  of  God's  servant  about  sin  they  are 
absolutely  right ;  as  the  language  of  God's  anointed  King 
upholding  justice  against  wrong  they  are  relatively  right ; 
as  the  language  of  personal  desire  for  vengeance  on 
particular  sinners  they  express  the  imperfect  enlightenment 
of  the  most  enlightened  ere  Christ's  new  law  was  uttered, 
and  differ  widely  from  His  sternest  denunciations  (Matt. 
v.  44 ;  Luke  ix.  55.  Contrast  2  Chron.  xxiv.  22  and 
Acts  vii.  60). 

Nine  Psalms  and  five  other  Bible  poems  are  Acrostic, 


THE   TWELVE  MESSIANIC  PSALMS.  177 

that  is,  each  verse  begins  with  a  different  letter  of  the 
Hebrew  alphabet  (Psalms  ix.,  x.,  xxv.,  xxxiv.,  xxxvii., 
cxi.,*  cxii.,*  cxix.,  cxlv.  ;  Lam.  i.,  ii.,  iii.,*  iv.  ;  Prov.  xxx. 
10-31.  Only  those  marked  *  are  perfectly  regular  in  struc- 
ture). They  are  chiefly  of  a  didactic  character,  and  their 
form  seems  to  have  been  adopted  as  an  aid  to  memory  for 
private  devotion  or  public  recitation. 

A  number  of  the  Psalms  are,  more  or  less  completely, 
Historical.  These  not  only  supplement  and  confirm  other 
records,  but  are  an  illustration  of  how  all  the  events  of  the 
past  contain  lessons  for  the  present.  Unlike  any  other 
national  poems,  they  are  thoroughly  patriotic  without  in 
any  way  feeding  national  vanity.  They  show  that  all 
Israel's  glory  came  from  God,  and  all  her  misfortunes  were 
due  to  herself.  Observe  lastly  that  many  of  the  later 
Psalms  are  made  up  of  quotations  from  earlier  ones.  Three 
are  complete  reproductions,  viz.,  liii.,  lxx.,  and  cviii. 

VI.  The  Twelve  Messianic  Psalms. 

Seven  Psalms  refer  to  the  Suffering,  Risen,  Ascended 
Christ  of  the  First  Advent  (xxii.,  xl.,  lxix.,  xvi.,  cxviii.,  xxiv , 
lxviii.) ;  five  to  the  Glorified  Christ  of  the  Second  Advent 
(ii.,  xlv.,  lxxii.,  xcvii.,  ex.).  In  saying  this  we  do  not  assert 
that  every  word  of  these  is  Messianic.  They  contain  acknow- 
ledgments of  sin,  etc.,  which  are  inapplicable.  Nor  do  we 
deny  that  the  whole  Psalter  may  be  regarded  as  Messianic. 
The  directly  prophetic  Psalms,  such  as  ii.,  xlv.,  ex.,  are  few. 
Even  these  describe  a  promise  of  good  things  to  come 
connected  in  the  first  instance  with  David  and  Solomon, 
but  only  finding  complete  fulfilment  in  their  greater  Son. 
Nearly  all  the  Psalms  are,  however,  typical.  "  Thoughts 
beyond  their  thought  to  those  high  bards  were  given  " 
(Keble) ;  so  when  the  Psalmist  protests  against  scorn  and 
abuse,  enmity  and  treachery,  which  sought  to  ensnare  and 
destroy  a  blameless  man  ;  when  he  pictures  suffering  inno- 
cence and  vindicated  righteousness  ;  when  he  utters  his 
delight  in  the  word  and  will  of  God,  we  know  that 
unconsciously  he  is  speaking  in  the  name  of  Another,  that 
the  Psalter  is  the  Prayer  Book  not  only  of  Israel  and  of 
the   Church,   but  also  of  Christ.      Two  lines  of  thought, 

12 


173  THE  PSALMS 

traceable  throughout,  converge  in  Christ,  (a)  God  drawing 
near  to  man,  (J?)  Humanity  in  the  person  of  its  noblest 
Representative  exalted  to  God.  Before  they  rejected  our 
Lord  the  Jews  freely  acknowledged  the  Messianic  applica- 
tion of  the  most  remarkable  prophetic  and  typical  psalms. 
Just  as  their  whole  religion  was  ultimately  resolvable  into 
a  Messianic  hope,  so  their  whole  method  of  Scripture  study 
was  Messianic  application.  They  have  since  tried  to  explain 
these  Psalms  away.  Our  best  guide  to  their  interpretation 
is  the  use  made  of  them  by  Christ  and  His  Apostles.  New 
Testament  references  will  therefore  suggest  their  interpre- 
tation here.  Two-thirds  of  the  Old  Testament  quotations 
in  the  New  Testament  are  from  the  Psalms. 


VII.  Plan  of  this  Scheme  for  the  Psalter. 

The  Psalms  are  arranged  in  chronological  order  so  far  as 
that  can  be  done,  and  we  connect  those  whose  dates  and 
authors  cannot  be  discovered  with  periods  which  may  have 
produced  them  and  which  are  certainly  illustrated  by  them. 
We  have  no  room  for  learned  arguments  and  long  lists  of 
authorities  ;  but  in  weighing  the  external  evidence  of  the 
headings  and  the  internal  evidence  of  language,  style,  and 
allusions,  I  have  availed  myself  of  the  works  of  not  a  few 
good  scholars  who  have  given  special  attention  to  the 
Psalms.  For  a  clear,  simple,  and  comprehensive  account  of 
them,  I  know  none  better  than  that  in  the  later  editions  of 
Bishop  Barry's  "  Teacher's  Prayer  Book,"  now  issued  in  a 
separate  volume.  For  a  fuller  exposition  see  Dr.  Perowne's 
"  Psalms  "  (Murray  10s.  6d). 

Our  plan  of  dealing  with  each  Psalm  is  this.  After 
pointing  out  by  whom,  when,  and  under  what  circumstances 
it  was  written,  with  a  reference  for  those  circumstances, 
I  give  its  number  in  the  Psalter,  a  name  indicating  its 
character  and  theme,  a  summary  of  its  leading  thought,  New 
Testament  quotations  or  parallels,  and  one  or  two  explana- 
tory notes  if  needed.  Finally,  mention  is  made  of  its  use  in 
the  Anglican  Church,  in  the  Jewish  Synagogue,  and  else- 
where, and  its  special  associations  with  the  faithful  of  the  past. 
Throughout  I  use  the  Revised  Version,  which  is  particularly 
helpful   for   the    Psalms,    as    it    clears   up    many   difficult 


OF  THE  DAYS  OF  MOSES.  179 

passages  by  its  renderings,  and  enables  us  to  follow  their 
poetical  structure  by  its  method  of  printing  them. 

Students  of  the  Psalms  as  a  whole  would  do  well  to 
make  out  (a)  A  chronological  table  of  all  the  allusions  to 
past  history,  from  the  Creation  to  the  accession  of  Saul, 
noting  which  made  the  deepest  impression  on  the  national 
mind.  (J?)  A  collection  of  the  Psalter's  testimonies  con- 
cerning the  state  of  man  immediately  after  death,  and  the 
duration  and  character  of  the  life  beyond  the  grave,  (c)  A 
summary  of  the  references  to  Jerusalem,  as  the  holy  city, 
the  abode  of  God  ;  as  the  royal  city,  the  abode  of  the  King  ; 
and  as  the  centre  of  national  life.  Reference  to  the  follow- 
ing pages  will  be  aided,  if  the  arabic  numeral  they  assign 
to  each  of  the  Psalms  be  written  beside  its  roman  numeral 
in  the  student's  own  Bible. 

It  is  to  the  devotional  rather  than  to  the  intellectual  or 
practical  aspect  of  Christian  life  that  the  Psalms  direct  our 
attention,  and  this  is  the  aspect  most  likely  to  be  overlooked 
in  the  hurry  and  pressure  of  our  daily  life  now.  Much  of 
the  restlessness  and  spiritual  hunger  so  common  in  these 
days  is  due  to  neglect  of  that  communion  with  God  which 
is  as  necessary  for  our  spiritual  welfare  as  the  pure  breath 
of  heaven  is  for  our  physical  welfare.  Great  will  be  our 
gain  if  fresh  knowledge  of  "  the  Prayers  of  the  son  of  Jesse  " 
teaches  us  to  pray  as  we  have  never  prayed  before. 

Second  Term.    The  Theocracy. 

(1.)  One  Psalm  by  Moses  on  the  Plains  of  Moab  about 
B.C.   145 1  (Num.  xxvii.   12-14;  Deut.  xxxiv.). 

XC.  A  Prayer  concerning  Time  and  Eternity. 
"  How  may  man,  whose  true  Home  is  the  Everlasting  God, 
best  use  this  mortal  life  ?  "  Quoted  (ver.  4),  2  Peter  iii.  8. 
Compare  Deut.  xxxiii.  15,  27  with  vv.  1,  2  ;  Gen.  iii.  17-19, 
Num.  xxvi.  64,  65,  and  Rom.  vi.  23  with  vv.  7,  8  ;  Heb.  xii. 
5-1 1  with  ver.  1 5.  This  archaic  Psalm,  which  bears  through- 
out the  stamp  of  high  antiquity,  has  been  called  the  most 
sublime  of  human  compositions.  Moses  evidently  meant 
it  to  be  his  own  funeral  hymn,  and  it  has  since  become  the 
funeral  hymn  of  the  world.  Burial  Service  and  New  Year's  Eve 
Service.  At  Jewish  burials  in  New  Testament  times,  it  was  chanted 
during  a  slow  sevenfold  circuit  round  the  bier. 


180  THE   PSALMS 


Third  Term.    The  Reign  of  Saul. 

Twenty  Psalms  by  David  between  1064  and  1056.  Com- 
pared with  his  later  Psalms,  David's  early  ones  contain 
more  exuberant  and  vigorous  poetry,  less  profound  thought 
and  spirituality ;  show  less  self-knowledge,  and  make 
more  vehement  protestations  of  innocence.  Reference  to 
Acts,  xxiii.  1  proves,  however,  that  this  is  not  always 
inconsistent  with  humility.  They  are  marked  by  freshness 
of  tone  and  style,  and  unclouded  trust  in  God. 

(2 — 5.)  Four  during  his  youth  at  Bethlehem  (1  Sam. 
xvii.  15). 

VIII.  The  Shepherd's  Evening  Hymn.  "  Before  the 
God  of  Nature,  man  is  little ;  before  the  God  of  Grace, 
man  is  great."  Quoted  (ver.  2),  Matt.  xxi.  16  ;  (ver.  4),  Heb. 
ii.  6-9  ;  (ver.  6),  1  Cor.  xv.  27.  Compare  Job  vii.  17.  The 
antithesis  brought  out  in  this  meditation  on  Gen.  i.  under 
the  brilliant  glory  of  an  Oriental  heaven  is  strengthened 
for  us  by  larger  knowledge  of  Nature's  vastness,  through 
modern  science  ;  and  of  God's  grace,  through  the  Incarna- 
tion of  our  Lord.      Ascension  Day. 

XIX.  The  Shepherd's  Morning  Hymn.  "  Great  is 
the  majesty  of  God's  starry  heavens  above,  greater  the 
majesty  of  His  pure  law  within  the  heart  of  man."  Quoted 
(ver.  4),  Rom.  x.  18  ;  with  ver.  12  cp.  Rom.  vii.  13. 
What  Nature  can  and  cannot  teach,  and  what  the  Word 
of  God  is  to  His  servants,  could  not  be  more  accurately 
expressed.  "  Line  "  (ver.  4)  means  "  string  "  or  "  music  "  ;  the 
allusion  is  to  Nature's  song  without  words.  Christmas  Day 
(for  the  Incarnation  was  the  third  and  crowning  revelation  of  God). 

XXIII.  The  Shepherd's  Watch  in  the  Wilderness. 
"  My  Divine  Shepherd  leads,  restores,  and  comforts  me, 
and  I  fear  no  evil."  Compare  Luke  xv.  4-6 ;  John  x.  1-16  ; 
Heb.  xiii.  20;  1  Peter  ii.  25.  With  "thy  rod  and  staff" 
(ver.  4),  one  to  lead,  the  other  to  defend,  cp.  Zech.  xi.  7. 
In  some  old  liturgies,  this  Psalm  took  the  place  of  the  "  Comfortable 
Words  "  in  our  present  Communion  Service. 

XXIX.  The  Psalm  of  the  Seven  Thunders. 
"  Mighty  is  the  voice  of  the  Lord  our  King."  With  ver.  4 
cp.  John  v.  25.  This  Psalm  describes  a  storm  sweeping 
over  the  whole  land  from  Lebanon  to  Kadesh.     The  Jews 


OF  THE  REIGN  OF  SAUL.  181 

use  it  on  the  first  day  of  Pentecost  to  commemorate  the  thunders  of 
Sinai ;  also  on  the  evening  of  New  Year's  Day. 

NOTE. — Some  refer  viii.  and  xix.  to  the  mature  experi- 
ence of  David  the  King,  xxiii.  4,  5  suggests  the  circum- 
stances of  his  flight  from  Absalom,  and  no  more  beautiful 
sequel  to  xxii.  could  be  found  (cp.  xxii.  15  and  xxiii.  4). 
The  LXX.  refers  xxix.  to  the  removal  of  the  Ark  to  Zion. 
If  not,  however,  products  of  his  shepherd  days,  they  are 
certainly  reminiscences  of  them,  and  show  how  his  religious 
life  and  his  poetic  power  developed  in  the  lonely  watches 
of  his  youth. 

(6,  7.)  Two  on  Saul's  attempt  on  his  life  at  Gibeah  (1 
Sam.  xviii.  11). 

CXL.  A  Prayer  against  the  Violent  Man.  "Save 
me  from  foes  without,  O  Strength  of  my  salvation."  Quoted 
(ver.  3),  Rom.  iii.  13.  .  With  vv.  5,  7  cp.  I  Sam.  xviii.  21-7  ; 
with  ver.  13  cp.  Heb.  xii.  14.  "  When  Saul  cast  the  javelin 
at  him  °  is  the  Syriac  heading  of  this  Psalm.  Some, 
however,  apply  it  to  Doeg. 

CXLI.  A  Prayer  for  Aid  against  all  Perils. 
"  Save  me  from  foes  within,  and  from  the  snares  of  the 
wicked."  With  ver.  2  cp.  Luke  i.  9,  10.  This  Psalm  is 
evidently  connected  with  the  preceding,  and  utters  the 
shepherd-hero's  sense  of  new  peril  in  his  new  life  at  court. 
Used  at  the  Daily  Evensong  of  the  Greek  Church  from  very  early 
times. 

(8.)  One  on  his  escape  from  Saul's  assassins  (1  Sam. 
xix.  11,  12). 

LIX.  A  Golden  Psalm  on  God's  Defence.  "  Save 
me  from  them  that  lie  in  wait."  With  ver.  3  cp.  John  viii. 
40,  46  ;  with  ver.  7  cp.  Mark  xv.  29.  "  Heathen  "  (ver.  5) 
may  refer  to  Doeg. 

(9,  10.)  Two  on  his  flight  to  Ramah  or  Nob  (1  Sam. 
xix.  18,  xx.). 

XIII.  Fear's  Question.  "  How  long  wilt  Thou  forget 
me?  Lighten  my  eyes,  lest  the  enemy  prevail."  With 
ver.  I  Cp.  Rev.  vi.  10.  Third  Collect  for  Evensong.  Usque  quo 
Domine?  (How  long,  Lord?)  was  Calvin's  motto.  Princess  Anne, 
daughter  of  Charles  I.,  aged  four,  died  with  ver.  3  on  her  lips. 

XI.  FAITH'S  ANSWER.  "  Why  bid  me  flee  ?  The  Lord 
rules  and  judges  men,  and  I  trust  in  Him."  With  ver.  2 
cp.   1    Sam.   xx.    36;   with  ver.    7  (R.V.)   cp.    Matt.   v.    8 


1 82  THE  PSALMS 

and  Psalm  cxl.  13.  Written  perhaps  after  the  encourage- 
ment of  Jonathan's  visit.  Others  refer  it  to  Absalom's 
Rebellion. 

(11,  12.)  Two  when  the  PJiilistines  seized  him  at  Gath 
(1  Sam.  xxi.  10-15),  an  incident  only  recorded  in  tJie  heading 
to  lvi. 

LVI.  A  Golden  Psalm  of  the  Silent  Dove  among 
ALIENS.  "  My  foes  are  many,  wily,  and  full  of  hatred. 
But  God  is  for  me  and  will  deliver  me."  With  ver.  9  cp. 
Rom.  viii.  31  ;  with  ver.  13  cp.  Jude  24. 

XXV.  An  Acrostic  Prayer  for  Forgiveness  and 
DELIVERANCE.  "  Put  not  Thy  servant  to  shame  in  the 
presence  of  the  enemy."  With  ver.  20  cp.  Rom.  ix.  33, 
and  final  verse  of  Te  Deum,  which  formed  the  last  words 
of  S.  Francis  Xavier.  Both  the  substance  and  structure  of 
this  Psalm  indicate  that  it  was  written  at  the  same  time  as 
xxxiv.  But  some  refer  it  to  Absalom's  Rebellion,  pointing 
to  ver.  7,  which  does  not,  however,  prove  the  author  was 
no  longer  young  ;  ver.  11,  which  may  refer  to  circumstances 
not  recorded  (see  xxxiv.  18);  and  ver.  22,  which  is  pro- 
bably a  liturgical  addition  of  later  times,  like  xxxiv.  22 
and  xiv.  J.  Petrarch  concludes  his  autobiography  by  quoting  the 
first  clause  of  ver.  7,  "than  which,"  he  says,  "no  words  could  sound 
sweeter." 

(13.)  One  07i  his  escape  from  Gath  by  feigning  madness 
(1  Sam.  xxii.  1). 

XXXIV.  An  Acrostic  Thanksgiving  for  Forgive- 
ness AND  DELIVERANCE.  "  Let  others  learn  from  my 
experience  that  God  saves  those  who  trust  Him."  Quoted 
(vv.  12-15),  l  Peter  iii.  10-12  ;  (ver.  20),  John  xix.  33-6. 
With  ver.  8  cp.  1  Peter  ii.  3  ;  with  ver.  13  cp.  James  i.  26. 
"  Abimelech  "  was  the  title  of  the  Philistine  kings  :  see  Gen 
xx.  and  xxvi.,  and  cp.  "  Pharaoh  "  and  "  Caesar."  In  597  the 
dying  S.  Columba  laid  aside  his  pen  for  ever  when  he  had  transcribed 
ver.  9,  leaving  Baithune  to  write  out  the  rest.  The  Dutch  admiral 
Joost  de  Moor  celebrated  with  this  Psalm  a  victory  over  the  Spaniards 
on  May  25th,  1603. 

(14,  1 5.)     Two  in  the  Cave  of  Adullam  (1  Sam.  xxii.  1,  2). 

CXLII.  A  Didactic  Prayer  for  Rescue.  "For- 
saken of  all  men  and  brought  very  low,  I  cry  to  Thee,  my 
Refuge."  With  ver.  3  cp.  Mark  xiv.  1.  Ver.  7  (first  clause) 
was  S.  Francis  of  Assisi's  last  Quotation  on  his  death-bed. 


OF   THE  REIGN  OF  SAUL.  183 

LVII.  A  Golden  Psalm  of  Thanksgiving  for 
Rescue.  A  Morning  Hymn.  "Thou  wilt  send  from 
heaven  to  save  me,  and  I  will  sing  Thy  praise  among  the 
nations."  With  vv.  3-5  cp.  Acts  ii.  31-3.  Written  perhaps 
when  his  family  and  friends  had  come  to  him.     Easter  Day. 

(16.)  One  in  the  Forest  of  Hareth  on  hearing  of  the 
massacre  at  Nob  (1  Sam.  xxii.  21). 

LI  I.  A  Didactic  Psalm  on  Doeg  the  Edomite. 
"Boast  not  thyself,  false-tongued  deviser  of  wickedness, 
for  God  shall  destroy  thee."  With  vv.  2-4  cp.  James 
iii.  5-8,  and  see  description  of  the  Edomite  character  in 
Obad.  3,  10  ;  ver.  5  probably  alludes  to  the  Tabernacle, 
and  ver.  8  to  the  trees  on  the  north  slope  of  Olivet  where 
Nob  was. 

( 1 7.)  One  on  hearing  in  the  Wilderness  of  Ziph  of  Keila/is 
treachery  (1  Sam.  xxiii.  11,  12). 

LVIII.  A  Golden  Psalm  concerning  the  Recom- 
penses OF  GOD.  "Let  those  who  are  hardened,  in  sin 
learn  that  there  is  a  God  who  judges  in  the  earth."  With 
ver.  11  cp.  Rom.  xii.  19  and  Rev.  xxii.  12.  Its  connexion 
with  Keilah  is  a  conjecture,  but  the  characteristics  of  this 
Psalm  are  those  of  David's  early  ones,  and  it  closely 
resembles  Hi.  The  metaphor  in  ver.  9  is  from  a  fire  kindled 
for  cooking  in  the  wilderness. 

(18.)  One  in  the  Wilderness  of  Ziph  on  SauVs  pursuit 
(1  Sam.  xxiii.  14,  xxiv.  11,  14,  15,  xxvi.  20). 

XXXV.  An  Imprecatory  Psalm  concerning  the 
Enemies  of  the  Righteous  Man.  "  Strive  with  my 
foes,  judge  my  accusers,  and  save  me  from  those  who  are 
too  strong  from  me."  Quoted  (ver.  19),  John  xv.  25.  With 
ver.  11  cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  60  ;  with  ver.  12  (R.V.)  cp.  John  xvi. 
32  ;  with  ver.  13  cp.  Luke  xiii.  34.  The  metrical  structure 
is  peculiar  and  artistic.  David  evidently  alludes  to  the 
base  enmity  of  Saul's  jealous  courtiers.  Vv.  1,  2  formed  the 
prayer  of  Thanew,  mother  of  S.  Kentigern,  when  in  518  she  was  cast 
adrift  upon  the  Firth  of  Forth. 

(19.)  One  in  the  Wilderness  of  Maon  on  the  Ziphites* 
treachery  (1  Sam.  xxiii.  19-28). 

LIV.  A  Didactic  Psalm  on  the  enmity  of  the 
GODLESS  AND  THE  HELP  OF  GOD.  "  Save  me,  and  destroy 
my  foes.     Thou  hast  delivered,   and   I  will  give  thanks." 


1 84  THE   PSALMS 

With  ver.  4  cp.  Acts  xxvi.  22.  Ver.  7  may  be  explained 
by  I  Sam.  xxiii.  27,  28.     Good  Friday. 

(20.)  One  on  sparing  Saul  in  the  Wilderness  of  Engedi 
(1  Sam.  xxiv.). 

VII.  An  Ode  concerning  Cush  the  Benjamite. 
"  Save  me  from  the  foe  who  causeless  hated  me,  and  whom 
I  spared,  for  I  am  righteous."  Quoted  (ver.  9),  Rev.  ii.  23. 
With  ver.  8  cp.  John  viii.  46  ;  with  ver.  1 1  cp.  Gen.  xviii. 
25.  Cush,  one  of  Saul's  adherents  of  whom  nothing  is 
known,  had  slandered  David  to  his  master.  Shiggaion 
means  a  poem  of  free  and  erratic  structure. 

(21.)     One  on  sparing  Nab al  (\  Sam.  xxv.  39). 

XVII.  A  Prayer  comparing  the  World's  gifts 
WITH  THE  GIFTS  OF  God.  "  Hear  me,  uphold  me,  and 
keep  me  from  my  deadly  enemies."  With  ver.  14  cp.  Matt. 
vi.  2,  Luke  vi.  24,  xvi.  8,  25,  John  xiv.  27;  with  ver.  15 
cp.  1  John  iii.  I,  2,  Rev.  xxii.  4.  The  connexion  with 
Nabal  is  a  mere  inference  from  probability. 

The  Reign  of  David. 

(A.)  One  Psalm  by  Asaph  and  fourteen  by  David  {all 
probably  wj-itten  at  Jerusalem)  during  his  glory  and  pros- 
perity.    (1049 — 1036.) 

This  group  of  Psalms  is  noted  for  kingly  dignity,  perfec- 
tion and  maturity  of  style,  profound  thought,  and  intense 
devotion. 

(22.)     One  by  Asaph  ojz  David's  Accession  (2  Sam.  v.  1-9). 

LXXVIII.  A  Didactic  Psalm  on  Israel's  History 
from  the  Exodus  to  David's  Capture  of  Jerusalem. 
"  Trust  God  who  hath  done  such  great  things  for  you,  and 
follow  not  your  fathers'  rebellion."  Quoted  (ver.  2),  Matt. 
xiii.  34,  35;  (vv.  24,  25),  John  vi.  31.  The  date  of  this 
first  and  greatest  Historical  Psalm,  the  longest  next  to 
cxix.,  is  fixed  by  the  abruptness  of  its  conclusion.  It 
describes  and  vindicates  the  transfer  of  the  spiritual  and 
temporal  headship  from  Shiloh  and  Ephraim  to  Jerusalem 
and  Judah. 

(23.)  One  on  the  establishment  of  Davids  TJirone  (2 
Sam.  v.   10). 

XVI.    A  Golden  Psalm  concerning  God's  Holy 


OF  THE  REIGN  OF  DAVID.  185 

ONE.  "  Preserve  me.  Thou  wilt  take  me  out  of  Sheol 
and  show  me  the  path  of  life."  Quoted  (vv.  8-1 1),  Acts  ii. 
25-32,  xiii.  35-7.  With  ver.  4  cp.  Lev.  vii.  20,  Zech.  ix.  7  ; 
with  ver.  5  cp.  Num.  xviii.  20.  The  priestly  character  of 
the  Lord's  Anointed  may  be  referred  to.  With  ver.  10  cp. 
John  xx.  9. 

(24.)  One  when  he  desired  yet  feared  to  bring  up  the  Ark 
(2  Sam.  vi.  9). 

CI.  The  Godly  resolves  of  the  Lord's  Anointed. 
(A  Speculum  Regis  or  Mirror  for  Magistrates?)  "  I  will 
put  away  evil  and  follow  good  with  a  perfect  heart."  With 
ver.  1  cp.  Matt,  xxiii.  23  ;  with  ver.  2  cp.  Matt.  v.  48  ; 
with  ver.  6  cp.  1  John  iii.  3  ;  with  ver.  8  cp.  Rev.  xxi.  8. 
Here  David  limits  for  himself  the  usual  despotic  power  of. 
Eastern  kings.      Queen's  Accession. 

(25,  26.)     Two  on  bringing  up  the  Ark.    (2  Sam.  vi.  12-15). 

XXIV.  The  Anthem  of  the  King  of  Glory. 
"  Only  the  pure  shall  ascend  God's  hill.  Let  the  King  of 
Glory  enter  His  chosen  abode."  Quoted  (ver.  1),  1  Cor.  x 
26;  cp.  Exod.  ix.  29.  With  vv.  3,  4  cp.  Heb.  xii.  14; 
with  ver.  8  cp.  James  ii.  1,  1  Cor.  ii.  8.  This  Psalm,  describ- 
ing the  true  God  and  the  true  worshipper,  was  written  by 
David  on  the  greatest  day  of  his  life,  to  be  sung  antiphonally 
or  alternately.  The  Levite  choir  who  bore  the  Ark  to 
Zion's  summit  are  answered  by  another  choir  who  receive 
it  there.  Ascension  Day  (see  Mark  xvi.  19).  The  Jews  used  it  on 
the  First  Day  of  the  week,  though  unaware  of  its  fitness  for  what  was 
to  be  the  Day  of  Resurrection. 

XV.  Epilogue  setting  forth  the  right  Worship 
OF  THE  KING  OF  GLORY.  "  He  who  would  become  God's 
guest  must  be  pure  and  true,  kind  and  honourable,  unselfish 
and  generous."  Quoted  (ver.  5),  2  Peter  i.  10.  Compare 
Psalm  1. ;  Isa.  xxxiii.  13-17;  Mic.  vi.  6-8;  John  iv.  24; 
1  Cor.  xiii.;  1  John  iv.  20,  21.  Ancient  usury  differed  in 
several  respects  from  modern  interest.     Ascension  Day. 

(27,  28.)  Two  on  the  Promise  given  through  NatJian 
(2  Sam.  vii.). 

CX.  An  Oracle  concerning  the  Kingly  Priest 
WHO  LlVETH  FOR  Ever.  "  Jehovah  promised  to  my  Lord 
wide  dominion  and  everlasting  priesthood."  Quoted  oftener 
than  any  other  portion  of  the  Old  Testament  in  the  New 


1 86  THE  PSALMS 

Testament — viz.,  in  Matt.  xxii.  44 ;  Mark  xii.  36 ;  Luke 
xx.  42,  43  ;  John  xii.  34;  Acts  ii.  34,  35  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  25  ; 
Heb.  i.  13,  v.  6,  vi.  20,  vii.  28,  x.  13  ;  1  Peter  iii.  22.  Com- 
pare Dan.  vii.  13,  14  ;  Isa.  ix.  6,  7.  "  Saith"  in  ver.  1  is  a 
word  used  specially  of  Divine  utterances.  With  ver.  3  cp. 
Rom.  xii.  1  ;  with  ver.  4  cp.  Zech.  vi.  13  and  Heb.  vii.  ;  with 
ver.  7  cp.  John  iv.  6,  xix.  28.  The  Rabbis  referred  nearly 
every  word  of  this  Psalm  to  the  Messiah,  and  the  Targum 
of  Jonathan  renders  ver.  1,  "  The  Lord  said  to  His  Word." 
Christmas  Day. 

CXXXVIII.  A  Psalm  of  Praise  concerning  the 
WORD  OF  THE  LORD.  "  I  and  all  the  kings  of  the  earth 
will  thank  Thee  for  Thy  gracious  words."  With  ver.  2 
cp.  John  i.  1  ;   with  ver.  4  cp.  Rev.  xxi.  24 ;  with  ver.  8 

cp.  Phil.  i.  6.  Ver.  8  was  Bishop  Andrewes'  favourite  ejaculatory 
prayer. 

(29,  30.)  Two  on  the  Wars  with  Amnion  and  Syria, 
according  to  tJie  Syriac  heading  (2  Sam.  x.,  xi.,  xii.  26-31). 

XX.  The  People's  Prayer  for  the  King  on  the 
Eve  OF  War.  "  God  grant  thy  desire,  for  we  trust  in 
Him.  God  save  the  King."  With  ver.  2  cp.  1  Kings  viii. 
44,  45;  with  ver.  3  (A.V.  margin)  cp.  Lev.  vi.  10,  11  ; 
with  ver.  6  cp.  John  xi.  42.  This  verse  is  the  King's 
uttered  response  to  the  people's  supplication  for  him  while 
he  was  in  silent  prayer.  Queen's  Accession,  2nd  versicle  before 
the  Collect  for  the  Day,  2nd  versicle  in  Marriage  Service,  and  Visitation 
of  the  Sick. 

XXI.  The  People's  Praise  for  the  King's  Vic- 
tory. "  God  has  granted  his  desire,  and  saved  him  with 
great  glory."  With  ver.  3  cp.  2  Sam.  xii.  30 ;  with  ver.  9 
cp.  2  Sam.  xii.  31  ;  with  vv.  4,  5  cp.  2  Sam.  vii.  13,  and 
Heb.  vii.  15,  16.       Ascension  Day.     Queen's  Accession. 

(31,  32.)  Two  on  tJie  Wars  with  Edom  (2  Sam.  viii. 
13,  14,  R.V.  margin,  x.  7-19;  1  Chron.  xviii.  12,  13,  xix. 
6-19;   1  Kings  xi.  15,  16). 

LX.  A  Golden  Psalm  of  Triumph  over  Edom. 
"  Restore  and  save,  O  God."  "  All  Israel  shall  submit  to 
thee,  My  anointed ;  Moab,  Edom,  and  Philistia  are  utterly 
humbled."  With  ver.  8  cp.  James  iv.  6,  Isa.  xvi.  6,  Obad. 
I,  3  ;  with  ver.  12  cp.  2  Cor.  iii.  5.  Ver.  9  refers  either  to 
Rabbah  or  Zobah,  or  possibly  to  Selah  (2  Kings  xiv.  7). 
This  Psalm  shows  more  clearly  than  the  history  that  David 


OF   THE  REIGN  OF  DAVID.  187 

fought  against  Syria  of  the  Two  Rivers  (or  Mesopotamia) 
and  Syria  of  Zobah,  and  after  suffering  a  critical  reverse, 
won  victory  which  brought  him  to  the  zenith  of  his  power. 
During  the  campaign  the  Edomites  took  advantage  of  his 
absence  in  the  north  to  revolt,  and  Joab  was  sent  to  quell 
their  rebellion.  Lot's  children  are  pictured  as  washing 
the  dust  from  Israel's  feet  (cp.  1  Sam.  xxv.  41),  Esau's  are 
imaged  by  the  slave  to  whom  was  thrown  the  shoe  taken 
off  for  this  washing ;  the  Philistines,  who  had  so  long 
been  Israel's  mighty  oppressors,  cry  aloud  at  last  in  forced 
homage  or  terror. 

CVIII.  A  Morning  Song  of  Praise.  This  adapta- 
tion of  lx.  and  lvii.  7-1 1  was  probably  made  to  celebrate 
some  similar  victory  in  later  times.     Ascension  Day. 

(33 — 3&)  Four  on  triumphing  over  all  foreign  enemies 
and  establishing  lordship  over  the  surrounding  heathen 
(1  Chron.  xviii.  6,  xx.  3). 

IX.  An  Acrostic  Psalm  of  Triumph  over  Foreign 
FOES.  "  Righteous  Judge  of  the  world,  I  will  praise  Thee. 
Thou  hast  destroyed  the  heathen  and  remembered  the 
poor."  With  ver.  8  cp.  Acts  xvii.  31  ;  with  ver.  12  cp. 
Num.  xxxv.  10-28  ;  with  ver.  13  cp.  Acts  ii.  31,  32. 

II.  The  Conquering  Kingdom  of  the  Lord's 
ANOINTED.  "  The  heathen  rage,  but  the  Lord  shall  laugh 
them  to  scorn,  and  His  Son  shall  be  King  over  the  whole 
earth."  Quoted,  Matt.  xxvi.  63  ;  Acts  iv.  25-8,  xiii.  33  ; 
Heb.  i.  5,  v.  5  ;  Rev.  ii.  27.  Compare  Rom.  i.  4  ;  Col.  i.  18. 
Ancient  Jewish  interpreters  ascribe  the  Psalm  to  David, 
and  refer  it  to  the  Messiah.  The  New  Testament  not  only 
ascribes  it  to  David,  but  founds  an  argument  on  his  author- 
ship. Its  date  is  fixed  by  the  allusion  to  the  great  Promise, 
and  to  triumph  over  the  heathen  (ver.  12).  Homage  to 
the  sovereign  is  still  expressed  by  a  kiss.     Easter  Day. 

XVIII.  The  Hebrew  Te  Deum,  David's  Liturgical 
Song  of  Victory.  (Repeated  in  2  Sam.  xxii.)  "  I  love 
and  praise  and  give  thanks  to  the  Lord,  my  Strength  and 
Rock.  He  has  delivered  me  from  all  my  foes  at  home 
and  abroad,  and  will  show  lovingkindness  to  me  and  my 
seed  for  ever."  Quoted  (ver.  49),  Rom.  xv.  9.  With  ver.  1 1 
cp.  1  Tim.  vi.  16 ;  with  ver.  28  cp.  Matt.  vi.  22,  23 ; 
with   vv.    37-42    cp.    2    Sam.    xii.    31  ;    with    ver.   48   cp. 


1 88  THE  PSALMS 

Psalm  cxl.  Ver.  50  is  David's  only  mention  of  his  own 
name.  The  Theophany  so  magnificently  described  in 
vv.  6-15  may  be  a  reminiscence  of  some  great  storm  that 
fought  for  David.     Compare  Judg.  v.  20,  21. 

LXVIII.  A  National  Thanksgiving  for  the 
Kingdom  established  on  Mount  Zion.  "The  God 
who  went  before  us  in  the  wilderness  is  gone  up  in  triumph 
to  dwell  for  ever  in  His  holy  place  on  Zion."  Quoted, 
Eph.  iv.  8-12  ;  cp.  Col.  ii.  15.  With  ver.  1  cp.  Num.  x.  35  ; 
with  ver.  4  cp.  Exod.  vi.  3  ;  with  ver.  1 1  (R.V.)  cp.  Exod. 
xv.  20,  Judg.  v.,  1  Sam.  xviii.  6;  with  ver.  12  cp.  1  Sam. 
xxx.  24;  with  ver.  18  cp.  2  Cor.  vi.  16;  with  ver.  27 
cp.  Judg.  v.  1 8  ;  with  ver.  29  cp.  2  Chron.  ii.  ;  with  ver. 
31  cp.  Acts  viii.  27-39.  Ver.  22  speaks  of  enemies  ; 
ver.  30  alludes  to  the  crocodile,  emblem  of  Egypt.  The 
Psalm  was  probably  written  for  the  festal  procession  which 
brought  back  the  Ark  from  David's  crowning  campaign 
(2  Sam.  xi.  Ii).  Whitsunday.  Used  by  the  Jews  on  the  Feast 
of  Pentecost. 

(B.)  Twenty-six  Psalms  by  David  during  the  sufferings 
that  followed  his  great  sin.     ( 1 036 —  1 024.) 

The  sorrowful  Psalms  of  this  period  show  that  prosperity 
is  more  trying  to  spiritual  life  than  adversity.  The  ex- 
planation of  David's  fall  may  possibly  be  seen  in  the  state 
of  heart  depicted  in  Psalm  xviii.  20-24. 

(37,  38.)     Two  after  Nathan's  rebuke  (2  Sam.  xii.  13). 

LI.  The  Sinner's  Confession  {Miserere  Mei). 
"  Have  mercy,  O  God ;  pardon,  cleanse,  and  restore  me, 
for  I  acknowledge  my  sin."  Quoted  (ver.  4),  Rom.  iii.  4. 
With  ver.  3  contrast  Gen.  iii.  12,  13,  1  Sam.  xv.  15,  and 
cp.  2  Cor.  vii.  9-1 1  ;  with  ver.  7  cp.  Exod.  xxiv.  5-8, 
Lev.  xiv.,  Heb.  ix.  18-23  ;  with  ver.  1 1  cp.  1  Sam. 
xvi.  14,  2  Kings  xxiv.  20,  Jer.  xxiii.  39;  with  ver.  18  cp. 
2  Sam.  V.  9.  Commination  Service.  A  Penitential  Psalm.  It  has 
guided  the  expression  of  repentance  for  centuries,  and  formed  the 
dying  prayer  of  the  Chevalier  Bayard,  Dr.  Arnold  of  Rugby,  and  many 
another  saint.  Vv.  3,  9,  17  are  opening  sentences  at  Morning  and 
Evening  Prayer  ;  ver.  15  is  one  of  the  versicles  before  the  Venite. 

XXXII.  The  Penitent's  Absolution.  A  Didactic 
Psalm.  "  At  last  I  confessed,  God  forgave,  and  He  will 
guide.  Rejoice  in  Him,  ye  godly."  Quoted,  Rom.  iv.  6-8  ; 
cp.  Prov.  xxviii.  13,  I  John  i.  8,  9.      Ash  Wednesday.     A  Peni- 


OF  THE  REIGN  OF  DAVID.  189 

tential  Psalm.  The  Jews  used  it  on  the  Day  of  Atonement.  S. 
Augustine  had  it  written  on  the  wall  over  against  his  bed  in  his  last 
illness,  that  he  might  win  comfort  from  it. 

(39 — 45).  Seven  during  a  grievous  sickness  unrecorded 
in  2  Samuel.  The  seclusion  it  involved  may  account  for  the 
success  of  Absalom's  intrigues  (2.  Sam.  xv.  6). 

VI.  Prayer  in  Pain  and  Weakness.  "  Have  mercy, 
I  am  wasted  with  sickness."  Quoted  (ver.  8),  Matt.  vii.  23. 
With  ver.  1  cp.  Jer.  x.  24  and  Rev.  iii.  19.  Ash  Wednesday. 
A  Penitential  Psalm.  Opening  sentence  of  Morning  and  Evening 
Services. 

XXXVIII.  A  Psalm  in  Sickness  to  bring  to  Re- 
membrance. "  I  am  full  of  pain,  laden  with  iniquity, 
forsaken  by  my  friends,  and  beset  by  enemies.  I  hope 
in  Thee,  make  haste  to  help  me."  With  ver.  9  cp.  2  Sam. 
xxiii.  5  ;  with  ver.  1 1  cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  56,  Luke  xxiii.  49  ; 
with  ver.  13  cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  12,  14.  Ver.  20  means  that  his 
cause  is  Still  the  cause  of  right.  Ash  Wednesday.  A  Penitential 
Psalm.     Used  on  the  Day  of  Atonement. 

XXXIX.  A  Prayerful  Meditation  on  the  Frailty 
OF  HUMAN  LIFE.  "  Man  is  but  a  breath.  My  hope  is  in 
Thee.  Deliver,  hear,  spare."  With  ver.  2  cp.  xxxviii.  13, 
14;  with  ver.  3  cp.  Jer.  xx.  9;  with  ver.  6  cp.  Luke  xii. 
16-21  ;  with  ver.  11  (margin)  cp.  James  iv.  14  ;  with  ver.  12 
cp.  1  Peter  ii.  11,  Heb.  xi.  13.  This  is  the  most  beautiful 
elegy  in  the  Psalter.     Burial  Service. 

XLI.  A  Prayer  when  nigh  unto  Death.  "  Heal 
me,  for  my  enemies  whisper  against  me,  expecting  me  to 
rise  no  more.  They  triumph  not,  and  Thou  upholdest  me 
for  ever."  Quoted  (ver.  9),  John  xiii.  18,  with  a  significant 
omission  (see  John  ii.  24,  25).  Ver.  1  refers  to  sickness,  not 
poverty ;  "  King's  friend  "  (in  ver.  9)  means  "  privy  coun- 
cillor," 2  Sam.  xv.  37,  xvi.  16,  1  Kings  iv.  5  ;  ver.  13  is 
the  doxology  added  by  the  compiler  of  Book  I.  (see  p.  174). 
This  Psalm  evidently  represents  the  crisis  which  settled  the 
question  of  life  or  death  for  David.     Offertory  sentence  (ver.  1). 

XL.  A  New  Song  of  Praise  on  Recovery.  "  God 
has  delivered  me,  and  shown  in  what  sacrifices  He  delights. 
Confound  my  enemies,  and  let  those  that  seek  Thee  rejoice." 
Quoted  (vv.  6-8),  Heb.  x.  5-10.  With  ver.  6cp.  Isa.  xlviii.  8 
and  Exod.  xxi.  5,  6  ;  with  ver.  7  cp.  Psalm  exxxix.  16  ;  with 
ver.  IO  Cp.  Psalm  li.  13.      Good  Friday. 


190  THE  PSALMS 

LXX.  A  Psalm  on  Recovery  to  bring  to  Remem- 
brance. Detached  from  xl.  for  liturgical  use.  Ver.  i, 
versicles  before  Venite.  S.  Vincent  de  Paul  asked  to  have  this  Psalm 
read  to  him  again  and  again  on  his  death-bed. 

V.  A  Morning  Prayer  on  returning  to  Public 
Worship.  "  Lead  me,  because  of  my  enemies.  Thrust 
out  the  rebels,  and  let  them  that  love  Thee  rejoice." 
Quoted  (ver.  9),  Rom.  iii.  13.  Ver.  3  (R.V.)  shows  that  we 
should  look  out  for  the  answers  to  our  prayers ;  ver.  6 
refers  to  Ahithophel ;  with  ver.  11  cp.  Psalm  xl.  16  and 
Phil.  iv.  4. 

(46 —  51.)  Six  during  growing  public  disorder  and  disaffec- 
tion to  the  throne  (2  Sam.  xv.  1-12). 

X.  An  Acrostic  Prayer  pleading  against  Law- 
lessness AT  HOME.  "Arise,  O  Lord,  for  the  wicked 
oppress  the  poor,  and  say,  God  hath  forgotten.  But  Thou 
art  King  for  ever."  Quoted  (ver.  7),  Rom.  iii.  14.  With 
ver.  4  cp.  Psalm  xiv.  1,  John  iii.  19.  The  LXX.  regards 
ix.  and  x.  as  one  Psalm.  Their  parallel  structure  and 
coincidences  of  language  and  style  show  their  connexion  ; 
x.  is  a  mournful  supplement  to  ix.  The  brigandage  and 
injustice  which  followed  upon  political  tumult  and  foreign 
invasion  are  also  pictured  in  Prov.  i.  10-14. 

XII.  Man's  Words  and  the  Words  of  the  Lord. 
"  Help,  for  the  faithful  fail  and  the  wicked  walk  en  every 
side."  With  vv.  3,  4  cp.  Jude  16,  2  Peter  ii.  9-12,  and 
Micah  vii.  2-4 ;  with  ver.  6  cp.  1  Peter  i.  23. 

XIV.  The  Divine  Vision  of  Godlessness.  "The 
Lord  beheld  that  all  the  children  of  men  had  turned  aside, 
and  had  forgotten  and  denied  Him."  Quoted,  Rom.  iii. 
10-12.  (By  a  curious  accident,  St.  Paul's  further  Old 
Testament  quotations  there  were  in  most  MSS.  of  the 
LXX.  incorporated  into  this  Psalm,  whence  they  found 
their  way  into  the  Prayer  Book  Version.)  With  vv.  2-4  cp. 
Gen.  vi.  12,  Luke  xviii.  2,  Rom.  i.  19,  20,  28;  with  ver.  3 
cp.  Eccles.  vii.  29.  Ver.  7  may  be  a  later  liturgical  addition, 
copied  possibly  from  liii.  The  atheism  described  is  that 
of  the  life  rather  than  the  lips,  moral  depravity  rather  than 
intellectual  doubt. 

LIII.  A  Didactic  Psalm.  This  reproduction,  with 
slight  variations,  of  xiv.,  was  probably  used  for  some 
signal  defeat  of  Israel's  enemies.     (See  ver.  5.) 


OF  THE  REIGN  OF  DAVID.  19T 

LXII.  If  God  is  for  us,  who  is  against  us  ?  "How 
long  will  ye  set  upon  a  man,  treacherous  liars  ?  I  wait  on 
God,  to  whom  power  belongeth."  With  ver.  4  cp.  John 
xi.  53  ;  with  ver.  12  cp.  Rom.  ii.  6,  Gal.  vi.  7,  I  Peter  i.  17, 
cp.  Psalm  xlix.  throughout.  The  word  rendered  "  surely  " 
in  ver.  9  and  "only  "  elsewhere  occurs  six  times.  Vv.  5,  6,  7 
were  inscribed  outside  the  cavern  where  Captain  Allen  Gardiner  and 
his  heroic  comrades,  pioneer  missionaries  in  Tierra  del  Fuego,  lay  down 
to  die,  as  their  last  message  home. 

LXIV.  GOD  WILL  Repay.  "  Hear,  preserve,  and  hide 
me  from  the  secret  council  of  evil-doers.  Suddenly  God 
shall  wound  them,  all  shall  fear,  and  the  righteous  shall 
rejoice."  Compare  Matt.  xxvi.  3,  4,  14-16,  xxvii.  3-5.  With 
ver.  3  cp.  2  Sam.  xv.  3  ;  with  ver.  9  cp.  Isa.  xxvi.  9. 

(52 — 54.)  Three  in  the  Wilderness,  fleeing  from  Absalom 
and  exiled  from  God's  house  (2  Sam.  xv.  13-30). 

CXLIII.  The  Fugitive's  Evening  Hymn  in  Dark 
PLACES.  "  The  enemy  hath  smitten  me  down.  Hear, 
guide,  save,  and  quicken  me,  for  I  am  Thy  servant."  Wit,h 
ver.  1  cp.  1  John  i.  9;  with  ver.  10  cp.  John  xvi.  13; 
cp.  Psalms  lxiii.  and  xxvii.  throughout.  The  LXX.  heads  it, 
"  When  he  fled  from  Absalom  his  son."  Delitzsch  says,  if 
not  actually  David's,  it  is  an  extract  of  the  most  precious 
balsam  from  the  old  Davidic  psalms.  Ash  Wednesday.  A 
Penitential  Psalm.     Ver.  2,  opening  sentence  in  Morning  Prayer. 

LXIII.  The  Fugitive's  Morning  Hymn  in  a  Dry 
and  Weary  Land.  "  My  God,  I  thirst  for  Thee.  I  will 
praise  Thee,  for  Thou  hast  been  my  help."  With  ver.  1 
cp.  John  vii.  37  and  2  Sam.  xvi.  14,  xvii.  2,  29 ;  it  may  be 
called  "  the  keynote  of  personal  religion."  Donne  says  the 
spirit  and  soul  of  the  whole  Psalter  is  concentrated  in  this 
Psalm.  A  Daily  Morning  Psalm  in  the  Eastern  Church  in  very  early 
times. 

XXVII.  The  Fugitive's  Sure  Confidence.  "  For- 
saken of  all  and  cruelly  maligned,  I  fear  nothing,  for  the 
Lord  is  my  Light  and  Salvation,  and  I  shall  yet  praise 
Him  in  His  Tabernacle."  Quoted  (ver.  6,  LXX.  version), 
Eph.  v.  19.  With  ver.  1  cp.  Micah  vii.  8,  John  viii.  12, 
1  John  i.  5.  Its  first  three  words  are  the  motto  of  the 
University  of  Oxford.  With  ver.  14  cp.  Hab.  ii.  3.  In 
ver.  10  "father  and  mother"  are  used  proverbially  of  the 
nearest  and  dearest. 


192  THE  PSALMS 

(55 — 57-)  T/iree  at  BaJiurim  on  the  taunts  of  Shimei  and 
treacJiery  of  '  Ahithophel (2  Sam.  xv.  31,  xvi.  5-13,  xvii.  23). 

LV.  A  Didactic  Psalm  of  the  cursed  and  betrayed 
SUFFERER.  "  With  sore  pain  and  terror  of  death  within, 
and  the  enemy's  reproaches  without,  O  that  I  could  flee 
altogether  from  the  unholy  city  and  treacherous  friend,  and 
be  at  rest !  Destroy  them,  for  I  trust  Thee."  Quoted 
(ver.  22),  1  Peter  v.  7.  With  v.  21  cp.  John  xii.  5,  6, 
Matt.  xxvi.  25,  49  ;  with  ver.  23  cp.  Eccles.  vii.  17,  2  Sam. 
xviii.  12-14. 

CIX.  An  Imprecatory  Psalm  concerning  the  Son 
OF  PERDITION.  "  My  deceitful  adversary  has  overwhelmed 
me  with  curses.  Let  them  recoil  upon  his  own  head." 
Quoted  (ver.  3),  John  xv.  25  ;  (ver.  8),  Acts  i.  20.  With 
ver.  7  cp.  John  xvii.  12  and  Matt.  xxvi.  24  ;  with  ver.  13 
cp.  Matt,  xxiii.  38  and  xxiv. ;  with  ver.  31  cp.  Zech.  iii. 
1,  2,  1  John  ii.  1,  1  Tim.  ii.  5.  The  attitude  is  that  of 
either  accuser  or  advocate.  It  seems  best  to  take  vv.  6-19 
as  the  adversary's  words,  and  vv.  20 — 31  as  David's  appli- 
cation of  them.  S.  Chrysostom  calls  this  awful  Psalm  a 
prophecy  under  the  form  of  imprecation.  But  our  Lord's 
words  about  Judas,  who  was  self-condemned  and  self- 
destroyed,  contain  no  trace  of  personal  vengeance,  nothing 
inconsistent  with  John  iii.  17  and  Luke  ix.  56. 

LXIX.  An  Imprecatory  Psalm  concerning  many 
reproachful  Adversaries.  "  For  Thy  sake  I  have 
borne  reproach,  derision,  desolation,  and  shame.  Let  my 
persecutors  be  blotted  out  of  the  book  of  life,  and  save  me." 
Quoted  (ver.  4),  John  xv.  25  ;  (ver.  9),  Johnii.  17,  Rom.  xv. 
3  ;  (ver.  21),  Matt,  xxvii.  34,  John  xix.  28,  29 ;  (vv.  22,  23), 
Rom.  xi.  9,  10  ;  (ver.  25),  Acts  i.  20.  With  ver.  8  cp.  John 
i.  11,  vii.  5  ;  with  ver.  12  cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  27-30.  There 
is  a  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  physical  cause  of  our 
Lord's  death  was  a  broken  heart  (see  ver.  20).  Vv.  35,  36 
may  be  a  liturgical  addition.  Internal  evidence  has  led  some 
to  assign  this  Psalm  to  Jeremiah,  whose  circumstances  it 
certainly  describes  ;  but  our  knowledge  of  David's  suffer- 
ings is  not  complete  enough  to  warrant  us  in  setting  aside 
the  heading,  and  to  David  it  is  twice  clearly  ascribed  in 
the  New  Testament.  It  looks  beyond  the  type  to  the  Anti- 
type throughout.      Good  Friday. 


OF  THE  REIGN  OF  DAVID.  793 

(58 — 62.)  Five  at  tJie  time  of  David's  greatest  anguish 
and  danger,  when  lie  crossed  Jordan,  and  battle  was  im- 
minent (2  Sam.  xvii.). 

XXII.  The  Psalm  of  the  Passion.  "God  has  for- 
saken me,  all  laugh  me  to  scorn,  and  I  am  brought  into  the 
dust  of  death.  Thou  hast  answered,  and  I  will  praise  Thee. 
The  whole  earth  shall  turn  to  the  Lord  and  worship  Him." 
Quoted  (ver.  1),  Matt,  xxvii.  46,  Mark  xv.  34,  cp.  2  Cor. 
v.  21  ;  (ver.  8),  Matt,  xxvii.  43,  cp.  Matt.  iii.  17  ;  (ver.  18), 
Matt,  xxvii.  35,  John  xix.  24;  (ver.  22),  Heb.  ii.  1 1,  12. 
With  ver.  7  cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  39 ;  with  ver.  1 5  cp.  John 
xix.  28  ;  with  ver.  16  cp.  John  xx.  25  ;  with  vv.  25,  26 
cp.  John  vi.  53-8,  Lev.  vii.  11-21  ;  with  ver  27  cp.  John 
xii.  32  ;  with  ver.  28  cp.  1  Cor.  xv.  24,  25  ;  with  ver.  30 
cp.  1  Peter  ii.  9.  No  circumstances  of  David's  life  are  on 
record  to  which  this  Psalm  is  altogether  applicable,  so 
some  refer  it  to  an  exile  in  the  Captivity.  But  it  vividly 
depicts  the  sufferings  peculiar  to  death  by  crucifixion, 
unknown  to  the  Jews  till  the  Romans  conquered  Judaea. 
One  Sufferer  alone  realised  its  language,  which  He  directly 
applied  to  Himself,  and  we  can  only  account  for  its  por- 
trayal from  within  of  what  Isa.  liii.  portrays  from  without, 
by  the  foresight  of  supernatural  revelation.  The  Jewish 
commentary  on  the  Psalms  explains  its  Hebrew  title  thus, 
"  On  him  who  leaps  as  a  stag,  and  brightens  the  world  in 
the  time  of  darkness."     Good  Friday. 

XXXI.  The  Prayer  of  Faith  tried  with  Fire. 
"  I  am  defamed,  forgotten,  and  wasted  with  grief.  Deliver 
me.  Great  is  Thy  goodness.  Take  courage,  ye  godly." 
Quoted  (ver.  5),  Luke  xxiii.  46,  cp.  Acts  vii.  59.  With  ver. 
1 1  cp.  Matt.  xxvi.  56  ;  with  vv.  22,  23  cp.  2  Cor.  i.  4. 
Some  with  less  probability  refer  this  to  David's  flight  from 
Saul,  others  attribute  it  to  Jeremiah.  Ver.  5  formed  the  last 
words  of  Polycarp,  Bernard,  Charlemagne,  Anskar,  Columbus,  Tasso, 
Lady  Jane  Grey,  Jerome  of  Prague,  Nicholas  Hottinger,  Luther,  Me- 
lanchthon,  and  many  others. 

LXI.  A  Cry  from  the  End  of  the  Earth.  "  Hear 
me,  my  Refuge.  Let  Thy  lovingkindness  and  truth  pre- 
serve me."  With  w.  6,  7  cp.  John  vi.  58,  Heb.  vii.  14-16. 
Ver.  8,  versicle  in  Marriage  Service  and  Visitation  of  the  Sick. 

III.  A  Morning  Hymn  in  the  midst  of  many  and 
GREAT  DANGERS.     "  My  foes  are  many,  but  I  will  not  fear. 

13 


I94  THE  PSALMS 

Arise  and  save  me,  my  Shield."  With  ver.  2  cp.  2  Sam. 
xvi.  8  ;  with  ver.  4  cp.  2  Sam.  xv.  25  ;  with  ver.  6  cp. 
2  Sam.  xv.  12,  xvii.  11  ;  with  ver.  7  cp.  Num.  x.  35  ;  with 
ver.  8  cp.  Jonah  ii.  9,  2  Sam.  xxiv.  17,  Luke  xxiii.  34. 

IV.  An  Evening  Hymn  in  the  midst  of  many  and 
GREAT  DANGERS.  "  How  long  will  ye  seek  after  false- 
hood ?  The  Lord  will  hear  and  preserve  me."  Quoted 
(ver.  4,  R.V.  margin),  Eph.  iv.  26.  With  ver.  3  cp.  John  ix. 
3 1  ;  with  ver.  4  cp.  2  Sam.  xviii.  5  ;  with  ver.  5  cp.  Heb. 
xiii.  15  ;  with  ver.  6  cp.  Psalm  lxxx.  1,  3  ;  2  Cor.  iv.  6  and 
Num.  vi.  26.  Ver.  7  contrasts  his  hungry  followers  with  their 
opponents.      First  Psalm  at  Compline  in  the  old  Service  Books. 

Fourth  Term.    The  Reign  of  David. 

(C.)  Ten  Psalms  by  David  of  uncertain  date,  probably 
writteit  during  the  closing  years  of  his  reign.     (1024 — 10 16.) 

(63 — 65.)  Three  concerning  the  ways  of  God  and  the  ways 
of  men. 

XXXVI.  The  Wicked  love  Darkness  though  God 
GIVES  LIGHT.  "  The  wicked  heart  utters  its  oracles  against 
God,  but  the  children  of  men  take  refuge  in  Him  who  can 
abundantly  satisfy."  Quoted  (ver.  1),  Rom.  iii.  18.  With 
ver.  9  cp.  John  iv.  14  ;  Rev.  xxii.  1. 

XXXVII.  An  Acrostic  on  the  Latter  End  of 
the  Upright  and  of  the  Wicked.  "  Fret  not  thyself, 
but  trust  in  the  Lord.  Delight  in  Him.  Rest  in  Him. 
Commit  thy  way  to  Him.  Wait  for  Him.  The  wicked 
shall  be  cut  off ;  the  righteous  shall  abide  for  ever."  Quoted 
(ver.  11),  Matt.  v.  5.  With  ver.  1  cp.  Pro  v.  xxiv.  19  ;  with 
ver.  4  cp.  Job  xxvii.  10  ;  with  ver.  16  cp.  Prov.  xv.  16  ; 
with  ver.  23  cp.  Jer.  x.  23  ;  with  ver.  32  cp.  Luke  xiv.  1. 
This  Psalm  resembles  Job,  and  solves  the  problem  dealt 
with  in  that  book. 

CXXXIII.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  Unity. 
"  Brotherly  love  is  good  and  pleasant  as  oil  and  dew." 
Compare  1  Cor.  xii.  ;  2  Cor.  xiii.  1 1  ;  Eph.  iv.  3  ;  Phil.  ii.  2,  3  ; 
Prov.  xiii.  10.  With  ver.  3  cp.  Lev.  xxv.  21.  This  song, 
which  has,  says  Herder,  the  fragrance  of  a  lovely  rose,  may 
have  been  written  on  David's  third  anointing  (1  Chron.  xii. 
38-40),  or  on  the  pacification  of  Sheba's  revolt.    Hermon  and 


OF  THE  REIGN  OF  DAVID.  195 

Zion  represent  North  and  South  Israel  united  under 
David. 

(66 — 68.)     TJiree  concerning  the  Sanctuary. 

XXVI.  Prayer  on  Access  to  the  Sanctuary. 
"  Judge,  examine,  and  redeem  me,  that  I  may  fitly  enter 
Thy  habitation  which  I  love."  Compare  1  Cor.  xi.  28,  31 
and  Psalms  xv.  and  xxiv.     With  ver.  9  cp.  Matt.  xiii.  40. 

XXVIII.  Prayer  and  Praise  on  entering  the 
SANCTUARY.  "  Draw  me  not  away  with  the  wicked.  Thou 
hast  heard,  my  Strength.  Bless  Thy  people."  With  ver.  2 
cp.  Dan.  vi.  10  ;  with  ver.  5  cp.  Rom.  i.  20.  Ver.  9,  versicles 
before  Collect  for  the  Day,  and  ver.  22  of  Te  Deum. 

XXX.  A  Song  of  Praise  at  the  Dedication  of 
the  House  of  the  Lord  on  Mount  Moriah  (2  Sam. 
xxiv.).  "  I  will  extol  Thee,  for  Thou  hast  delivered  and 
healed  me,  and  turned  my  mourning  into  dancing."  Com- 
pare James  v.  15  ;  1  Chron.  xxi.  16,  28,  xxii.  1.  David 
himself  may  have  been  smitten  by  the  pestilence.  Used  on 
the  Feast  of  Dedication  (John  x.  22).  One  of  the  closing  entries  in 
the  Diary  of  the  heroic  Bishop  Hannington  speaks  of  the  strength  and 
comfort  gained  from  this  Psalm  in  his  last  hours. 

(69 — 72.)     Four  on  Communion  with  God. 

CXXXIX.  The  Mystery  of  Man's  Being  and  of 
God's  PRESENCE.  "  Thou  knowest  me  altogether,  and  I 
am  ever  in  Thy  presence.  Search  me,  try  me,  and  lead 
me."  Compare  Acts  xvii.  28  ;  Rom.  xi.  33  ;  Eccles.  xi.  5. 
Aben  Ezra  calls  this  "  the  crown  of  all  the  Psalms."  Note 
that  its  attempt  to  fathom  the  most  profound  subjects  of 
human  thought  leads  neither  to  abstract  speculation  nor 
to  intellectual  self-congratulation,  but  to  humble  prayer 
for  salvation  from  sin. 

CXXXI.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  Unques- 
tioning FAITH.  "  I  do  not  exercise  myself  in  things 
too  wonderful  for  me."  Compare  Matt,  xviii.  3,  xix.  14  ; 
2  Sam.  vi.  22. 

LXXXVI.  A  Prayer  for  Guidance  and  Strength. 
"  Hear  and  save,  most  Mighty,  most  Merciful.  Teach  me 
Thy  way,  and  show  me  a  token  for  good."  Quoted 
(vv.  8,  9),  Rev.  xv.  4.  With  ver.  11  cp.  Matt.  vi.  21-4. 
Some  refer  this  to  Saul's  persecution.  Others  regard  it  as 
a  late  recast  for  liturgical  use  of  one  of  David's  Psalms. 
Ver.  2,  versicles  in  Marriage  Service  and  Visitation  of  the  Sick. 


196  THE  PSALMS 

CXLV.  An  Acrostic  Hymn  of  Praise  to  God  for 
WHAT  He  IS.  "  I  will  extol  Thee,  my  King,  for  Thou  art 
great  and  glorious,  good  and  gracious,  merciful  and  mighty. 
Thy  kingdom  and  Thy  praise  shall  be  for  ever."  Compare 
Acts  xvii.  24,  25  ;  Psalm  civ.  ;  Dan.  vii.  27.  We  find 
David's  "  last  words  "  in  2  Sam.  xxiii.,  but  his  half  of  the 
Psalter  could  not  conclude  more  fitly  than  with  this  magni- 
ficent invitation  to  all  God's  creatures  to  laud  and  magnify 
His  glorious  Name.  Whitsunday.  In  the  ancient  Church  it  was 
the  grace  at  the  mid-day  meal. 

The  Reign  of  Solomon. 

Five  Psalms  by  Solomon,  five  by  Asaph,  five  by  the  Sons 
of  Korahy  one  by  Heman,  and  three  of  unknown  authorship. 
(1016 — 976.) 

(73.)  One  by  Solomon  on  his  Accession  (1  Kings  ii.  12, 
iii.  28). 

LXXII.  The  Peaceful  Reign  of  the  Righteous 
King.  "  Let  the  King's  son  and  heir  judge  the  poor,  save 
the  needy,  and  rule  from  the  Red  Sea  to  the  Mediterranean, 
from  the  Euphrates  to  the  Desert ;  and  let  all  nations  call 
him  happy."  With  ver.  2  cp.  Rev.  xix.  2  ;  with  ver.  6 
cp.  2  Sam.  xxiii.  4;  with  ver.  8  cp.  Exod.  xxiii.  31. 
Tarshish  and  the  isles  represent  Europe  ;  Sheba  in  Arabia, 
Asia  ;  and  Seba  or  Meroe,  Africa.  The  Jewish  Targums 
most  emphatically  refer  this  Psalm  to  the  Messiah  (Matt, 
xii.  42).  Vv.  18-20  are  the  doxology  and  note  added  by 
the  compiler  of  Book  II.  "  Prayers  of  David  "  is  a  general 
name  for  the  Psalms. 

(74.)  One  by  the  Korahites  on  Solomons  marriage  to 
Pharaoh's  daughter  {1  Kings  iii.  1). 

XLV.  A  Didactic  Song  of  Loves  concerning  the 
Bridegroom-King.  "  Ride  on  in  triumph,  O  fair  and 
mighty,  O  gracious  and  glorious  King.  Leave  thy  father's 
house,  O  king's  daughter,  for  the  King  desires  thee,  and  thy 
children  shall  be  princes."  Quoted  (ver.  6),  Heb.  i.  8,  9  ; 
cp.  Matt,  xxv.,  2  Cor.  xi.  2,  Eph.  v.  25-32,  Rev.  xix.  6-9. 
The  Jews  regarded  this  Psalm  as  Messianic.  With  ver.  2 
cp.  Isa.  xxxiii.  17,  Luke  iv.  22,  I  Peter  ii.  22  ;  with  ver.  6 
cp.  2  Sam.  vii.  12,  13  ;  with  ver.  16  cp.  Psalm  xxii.  30, 
Rev.  V.  10.      Christmas  Day. 


OF  THE  REIGN  OF  SOLOMON.  197 

(75 — 78.)  Four  by  Solomon  on  inaugurating  the  Temple 
worship  (1  Kings  viii.). 

CXXXII.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  the 
Lord's  choice  of  Zion  and  Promise  to  David.  "  Re- 
member David's  vow  to  find  Thee  an  abode,  and  Thy 
promise  to  establish  his  throne.  Arise  into  Thy  resting 
place  with  the  Ark  of  Thy  strength."  Compare  Luke  i. 
32,  33  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  8  ;  Rev.  xxii.  16.  With  ver.  8  cp.  Num. 
x.  33-6,  2  Chron.  vi.  41,  42.  This  grandest  Song  of  Ascents 
was  clearly  written  after  David's  days,  but  not  long  after. 
Christmas  Day.     Versicles  before  the  Collect  for  the  Day. 

I.  Concerning  the  Happiness  of  Wisdom. 
"  Blessed  is  the  man  who  delights  in  God's  law.  His  way 
shall  prosper,  but  the  way  of  the  wicked  shall  perish."  With 
ver.  3  cp.  John  xv.  1-8  ;  with  ver.  4  cp.  Matt.  iii.  12  ;  with 
ver.  5  cp.  Luke  xxi.  36  ;  with  ver.  6  cp.  2  Tim.  ii.  19.  Its 
resemblance  to  Proverbs  suggests  that  Solomon  wrote  this 
Psalm  as  a  preface  to  the  Psalter  he  compiled  for  the  new 
Temple.     Jer.  xvii.  5-8  seems  to  be  a  paraphrase  of  it. 

CXXVII.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  Domes- 
tic BLESSINGS.  "  God  only  can  give  our  labours  their 
increase.  Children  are  His  reward."  Compare  1  Cor. 
iii.  7  ;  Matt.  vi.  25-34.  With  ver.  2  cp.  2  Sam.  xii.  25  (R.V. 
margin) ;  with  vv.  3,  4  cp.  1  Chron.  xxvi.  2-5.  This  Psalm, 
an  expansion  of  Prov.  x.  22,  refers  to  the  rapid  growth  of 
population  in  the  peace  and  prosperity  that  followed  long 
years  of  war  and  tumult.  Churching  of  Women.  Used  apparently 
at  the  presentation  of  the  firstborn  (Exod.  xxii.  29;  Luke  ii.  22,  23). 

CXXVIII.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  Home 
HAPPINESS.  (A  sequel  to  cxxvii.)  "  Blessed  shall  the 
godly  be,  as  breadwinner,  husband,  father,  and  citizen." 
Compare  Titus   ii.  4,    5.      Solemnisation   of  Matrimony. 

(79 — 82.)  Four  by  Asaph,  of  uncertain  date,  illustrating 
the  Temple  worship  and  Solomon's  dominion. 

L.  Acceptable  Sacrifice.  "  God  hath  shined  out  of 
Zion,  and  cometh  to  judge  His  people.  He  looks  not  for 
mere  outward  observances,  but  for  thanksgiving,  trustful 
prayer,  and  righteous  conduct."  Compare  Psalm  xl.  6-1 1, 
li.  16,  17  ;  1  Sam.  xv.  22  ;  Isa.  i.  11-20  ;  Jer.  vi.  20,  vii.  21-3  ; 
Amos  v.  21-4  ;  Micah  vi.  6-8.  With  ver.  3  cp.  Heb.  i.  2, 
John  iii.  32,  xiv.  19,  Rev.  i.  7  ;  with  ver.  5  cp.  1   Thess.  iv. 


198  THE  PSALMS 

1 6,  17  ;  with  ver.  14  cp.  Heb.  xiii.  15,  Rom.  xii.  1.  The 
opening  name  of  God  only  occurs  elsewhere  in  Josh.  xxii. 
22.  This  Psalm  must  have  been  written  in  the  best  age  of 
Hebrew  poetry. 

LXXXI.  A  Festival  Psalm  on  the  Exodus.  "  Sing 
aloud  to  God  who  delivered  Israel  from  bondage,  and  will 
feed  them  and  subdue  all  their  foes  if  they  hearken  to  Him." 
With  ver.  10  cp.  John  xv.  7,  Isa.  vii.  11  (A.V.  margin). 
The  Jews  used  it  on  the  Fifth  Day  of  the  week,  and  probably  on  the 
Feast  of  Trumpets  and  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles. 

LXXVII.  Ancient  Mercies  a  Pledge  of  Present 
Help.  "I  cried  in  trouble,  Hath  God  forgotten?  Then 
I  remembered  Thy  wonders  of  old."  Compare  Hab.  iii.  ; 
I  Cor.  ix.  10  ;  Heb.  x.  36.  With  ver.  13  cp.  1  Kings  viii.  30  ; 
with  ver.  14  (R.V.)  cp.  1  Kings  viii.  60. 

LXXXII.  A  Vision  of  Judgment.  "God  judges 
the  judge,  therefore  let  him  be  just.  Human  authority  is 
sacred,  yet  limited  and  delegated."  Quoted  (ver.  6),  John 
x.  34-6.  With  ver.  2  cp.  Acts  x.  34,  James  ii.  1-4  ;  with 
vv.  3,  4  cp.  Psalm  lxxii.  ;  with  ver.  6  cp.  Exod.  xxi.  6 
(R.V.),  1  Sam.  ii.  25  (R.V.),  and  Psalm  viii.  5  (R.V. 
margin);  cp.  2  Chron.  xix.  6,  7,  lsa.  iii.  13-15.  The  Jews 
used  it  on  the  Third  Day  of  the  week. 

(83 — 85.)  Three  by  the  Korahites  of  uncertain  date>  illus- 
trating the  Temple  worship. 

XLII.,  XLIII.  A  Didactic  Psalm  by  a  Priest  in 
Exile  beyond  Jordan.  "  My  soul  thirsts  for  God,  and 
is  cast  down  when  I  remember  the  worship  of  His  house. 
Plead  my  cause  against  an  ungodly  nation,  and  bring  me 
to  Thy  holy  hill."  With  ver.  2  cp.  Matt.  v.  6  ;  with  ver.  7 
cp.  Jonah  ii.  3.  xliii.  3  seems  to  refer  to  the  Urim  and 
Thummim  ;  "  Tabernacles  "  alludes  to  the  Holy  Place  and 
Holy  of  Holies  ;  xliii.  is  virtually  the  conclusion  of  xlii. 
(See  R.V.)  "  Cast  down  "  in  ver.  5  is  represented  in  the 
LXX.  by  a  word  which  our  Lord  uses  in  Matt.  xxvi.  38, 
thus  applying  the  Psalm  to  Himself.  "  The  language  of 
this  exile  is  the  language  of  the  human  heart,  under  the 
stress  of  the  purest  and  deepest  desire  that  man  can  know  " 
{Liddoii).  In  some  old  liturgies  xlii.  is  used  instead  of  the  "  Com- 
fortable Words  "  of  the  Communion  Service. 

LXXXIV.     The  Devout  Pilgrim's  Joyous  Song 


OF  THE  REIGN  OF  SOLOMON.  199 

on  Approaching  the  Sanctuary.  "  I  long  for  the 
courts  of  the  Lord,  for  they  that  dwell  in  Thy  house  are 
blessed."  Compare  Luke  ii.  37.  "  The  living  God  "  only 
occurs  elsewhere  in  the  Psalter  in  xlii.,  which  may  be  by  the 
same  author ;  ver.  9  is  a  prayer  for  the  King.  With  ver. 
10  cp.  1  Chron.  ix.  19  ;  with  ver.  11  cp.  Rev.  xxi.  23,  Eph. 
iii.  20.  Used  by  those  who  journeyed  up  to  Jerusalem  for  the  three 
great  Feasts  (Deut.  xvi.  16). 

(86 — 91.)  Six  closely  resembling  in  style  and  tone  the 
Sapiential  Books  of  Solovwnys  period — z.e.f  fob,  Proverbs, 
and  Ecclesiastes.     TJieir  dates  are  unknown. 

LXXXVIII.  A  Didactic  Psalm  by  Heman  on  the 
LAND  OF  FORGETFULNESS.  "  I  am  desolate  and  afflicted, 
and  my  life  draweth  nigh  to  unremembered  Sheol,  where 
all  is  forgotten."  Compare  Matt.  xxvi.  38,  56,  xxvii.  46 ;  John 
xii.  27  ;  2  Tim.  i.  10.  This  is  the  saddest  of  all  the  Psalms, 
but  ver.  1  shows  that  its  dark  doubt  is  not  absolute  despair. 
Good  Friday. 

XLIX.  A  Korahite  Meditation  upon  Man's 
Mortality,  the  Old  Testament  Version  of  Dives 
AND  LAZARUS.  "  Rich  and  wise  die  with  poor  and  foolish. 
All  are  alike  appointed  as  a  flock  for  Sheol.  But  God  will 
redeem  my  soul  from  its  power."  Quoted  (ver.  17),  I  Tim. 
vi.  7  ;  cp.  Matt.  xvi.  26,  Luke  xvi.  19-31.  With  ver.  14  cp. 
Rom.  xiii.  12  ;  with  ver.  15  cp.  John  xiv.  3. 

LXXIII.  The  Sure  and  Certain  Hope.  Faith's 
Triumph  over  Honest  Doubt.  By  Asaph.  "The 
prosperity  of  the  wicked  troubled  me  till  in  God's  sanctuary 
I  considered  their  latter  end,  and  knew  that  God  is  my 
Refuge  and  my  Portion  for  ever."  With  vv.  25,  26  cp. 
Phil.  iii.  8,  2  Cor.  iv.  16-18,  v.  1.  The  Syriac  version  says 
this  Psalm  was  written  on  the  death  of  Absalom.  Perhaps 
the  oppressions  at  the  end  of  Solomon's  reign  are  referred 
to  (1  Kings  xii.  4). 

CXI.  A  Hallelujah  Acrostic  concerning  the 
WORKS  OF  THE  LORD.  "  I  will  give  thanks,  for  God's 
works  are  great  and  eternal,  gracious  and  just."  With 
ver.  5  cp.  Matt.  vi.  33  ;  with  vv.  7,  8  cp.  Luke  xvi.  17  ;  with 
ver.  10  cp.  Prov  i.  7,  ix.  10,  John  vii.  17.  Easter  Day, 
probably  because  of  an  ancient  application  of  ver.  5  to  the  Passover. 

CXI  I.    A  Hallelujah  Acrostic  concerning  the 


2oo  THE  PSALMS 

Fear  OF  THE  LORD.  "Blessed  is  the  God-fearing. 
Wealth,  riches,  peace,  and  enduring  remembrance  are  his." 
Quoted  (ver.  9),  2  Cor.  ix.  9.     With  ver.  5  cp.  Luke  vi.  35. 

XCI.  The  Life  Hid  in  God.  "He  that  abideth  in 
God  shall  be  shielded  from  all  fears  and  all  adversities. 
God's  angels  shall  guard  thee,  because  thou  hast  set  thy 
love  upon  Him."  Quoted  (vv.  11,  12),  Matt.  iv.  6;  Luke 
iv.  10,  II.  With  ver.  13  cp.  Rom.  xvi.  20,  and  the  Litany; 
with  ver.  16  cp.  Luke  ii.  30;  cp.  Job  v.  17-23,  1  John  iv 
16-18.     This  Psalm  is  in  the  form  of  a  dialogue. 

The  Reign  of  Rehoboam. 

(92.)  One  Psalm  by  Ethan  on  Shishak's  Invasion. 
About  970  (1  Kings  xiv.  25,  26). 

LXXXIX.  A  Didactic  Psalm  on  God's  Covenant 
WITH  David.  "  Our  all-sovereign  God  chose  David,  and 
promised  that  his  throne  should  endure.  But  now  Thou 
hast  cast  it  down  to  the  ground.  Where  are  Thy  former 
mercies?"  Quoted  (ver.  20),  Acts  xiii.  22;  (vv.  36,  37), 
John  xii.  34.  The  Targums  interpret  this  Psalm  of  the 
Messiah.  With  ver.  19  cp.  Acts  v.  31  ;  with  ver.  27  cp. 
Col.  i.  15,  18.  Ver.  52  is  the  doxology  added  by  the  com- 
piler of  Book  III.  Some  refer  this  Psalm  to  the  reign  of 
Jehoiakim,  while  Ewald  conjectures  that  it  expresses  loss 
of  the  hope  that  David's  line  would  be  restored  through 
Zerubbabel.     Christmas  Day. 

Fifth  Term.    The  Reign  of  Jehoshaphat. 

One  anonymous  Psalm,  one  Asaphite,  and  three  Korahite 

(915-889.) 

(93.)  One  written  perhaps  during  the  famine  in  Israel, 
and  the  religious  revival  in  Judah  (2  Chron.  xvii.  9). 

XXXIII.  A  New  Liturgical  Song  of  National 
Trust  in  GOD.  "Praise  the  Lord  who  hath  created 
heaven  and  earth,  and  whose  eye  is  on  them  that  fear  Him." 
With  ver.  6  cp.  John  i.  1-3,  Job  xxxiii.  4,  Gen.  i.  26; 
with  ver.  9  cp.  Heb.  xi.  3;  with  vv.  10,  1 1  cp.  1  Cor. 
i.  19-31.  Mention  of  horses  suggests  that  the  Psalm  is 
later  than  those  of  David.     It  might  have  been  written  at 


OF  THE   REIGN  OF  JEHOSHAPHAT.  201 

several  different  periods,  but  illustrates  this  one  very  well. 
Ver.  22,  closing  versicles  in  the  Litany. 

(94.)  One  Asaphite  on  the  confederacy  of  Moab  and 
Amnion  against  Israel,  written  perhaps  by  fahaziel 
(2  Chron.  xx.  1-18). 

LXXXIII.  A  Song  in  the  Temple  imploring 
God's  Aid.  "  The  sons  of  Lot,  Ishmael,  and  Esau,  with 
Amalek,  Philistia,  Tyre,  and  Assyria,  consult  together 
against  us.  Destroy  them  as  Thou  didst  destroy  the 
Canaanite  and  Midianite  confederacies  of  old."  With  vv. 
15-18  cp.  Phil.  ii.  10,  11. 

(95 — 97-)  A  Triplet  of ' KoraJiite  Songs  celebrating  Israel's 
victory  (2  Chron.  xx.  19-28). 

XLVI.  A  Song  on  the  Eve  of  Battle  in  the 
WILDERNESS  OF  Tekoa.  "  God,  our  Refuge  and  Strength, 
is  with  us,  and  will  help  us  right  early."  With  title  cp. 
1  Chron.  xv.  20;  with  vv.  4,  5  cp.  Rev.  xxi.,  xxii.  1-5. 
This  is  the  original  of  Luther's  famous  hymn,  "Ein'feste  Burg  ist  unser 
Gott." 

XLVI  I.  A  Song  of  Deliverance  in  the  Valley 
OF  BLESSING.  "  Shout  unto  God  with  triumph.  He  shall 
subdue  the  peoples  under  us,  and  we  gather  together  to  be 
His."  (An  expansion  of  xlvi.  10.)  With  ver.  5  cp.  Exod. 
iii.  8,  Acts  i.  9;  with  "shields,"  in  ver.  9,  cp.  Hos.  iv.  18 
(R.V.  margin).      Ascension  Day. 

XLVI  1 1.  A  Song  of  Thanksgiving  in  the  Temple. 
"The  City  of  the  Great  King  is  beautiful,  for  there  is 
God  known  for  a  Refuge.  He  will  be  our  Guide  for  ever." 
Quoted  (ver.  2),  Matt.  v.  35.  Compare  Lam.  ii.  15.  With 
ver.  7  cp.  2  Chron.  xx.  36,  ^J.  Jewish  commentators  refer 
this  Psalm  to  the  Messiah.  Whitsunday.  The  Jews  used  it  on 
the  Second  Day  of  the  week. 

These  three  Psalms  are  often  referred  to  Sennacherib's 
defeat,  and  they  contain  several  coincidences  with  Isaiah. 
They  were  doubtless  used  in  700,  but  suit  the  circumstances 
of  the  early  deliverance  even  better. 

The  Decline  and  Fall  of  Israel. 

(98.)     One   Asaphite    Psalm.     About    740?     (Compare 
Hosea.) 
LXXX.    A  Mournful  Prayer  for  the  perishing 


202  THE  PSALMS 

Sons  OF  Joseph.  "  Turn  us  again  and  save  us,  O  Shep- 
herd of  Israel.  For  the  vine  Thou  broughtest  out  of  Egypt 
is  ravaged."  With  vv.  I,  2  cp.  Num.  ii.  18-24,  iii.  23,  25  ; 
with  ver.  3  cp.  Acts  iii.  26  ;  with  ver.  8  cp.  Isa.  v.,  Jer. 
ii.  21,  Ezek.  xix.,  Hos.  x.  1,  and  Gen.  xlix.  22;  with  ver. 
17  cp.  Eph.  i.  20,  Rev.  i.  13-16. 

The  Reign  of  Hezekiah. 

Two  AsapJiite  Psalms,  one  Korahite,  and  three  anonymous ', 
written  perhaps  by  HezekiaJi.     (Compare  Isa.  xxxviii.) 

(99.)  One  Korahite  on  the  tribute  brougJit  to  HezekiaJi. 
About  711.     (2  Chron.  xxxii.  23.) 

LXXXVII.  A  Song  concerning  Zion,  the 
Glorious  Mother  of  many  Nations.  "  God  loves 
Zion,  and  shall  establish  her,  and  count  who  was  born  there 
when  Hewriteth  up  the  peoples."  Compare  Eph.  ii.  19,  iii. 
3-6;  Col.  iii.  11  ;  John  x.  16  ;  and  contemporary  prophecies — 
e.g.,  Isa.  ii.  2-5,  xix.  23-5,  xl.-lxvi. ;  Micah  iv.  1-4.  In  antici- 
pating the  mystery  revealed  to  S.  Paul  of  the  brotherhood 
of  all  men  in  Christ,  this  striking  Psalm  stands  alone  in  the 
Old  Testament. 

(100,  1 01.)  Two  Asaphite  on  the  invasion  by  tJie  Assyrians, 
and  the  deliverance  from  them.     About  700.    (2  Kings  xix.) 

LXXV.  A  Song  concerning  the  Judge  of  the 
WHOLE  EARTH.  "  We  thank  Thee,  for  from  Thee  alone 
cometh  the  destruction  of  the  wicked  and  the  lifting  up 
of  the  righteous."  With  ver.  2  cp.  John  v.  25-9  ;  with 
ver.  4  cp.  2  Kings  xviii.  35  ;  with  ver.  8  cp.  Rev.  xiv.  10  ; 
cp.  1  Sam.  ii.  1-10  and  Isaiah  throughout.  The  reference 
to  looking  for  human  aid  from  all  quarters  save  the  North 
has  suggested  that  they  feared  Northern  enemies,  of  whom 
the  chief  were  the  Assyrians.    This  is,  however,  conjectural. 

LXXVI.  A  Song  of  Exultation  over  the  Death 
Sleep  of  the  Mighty.  "  God  is  known  in  Judah  as 
glorious  and  excellent.  At  His  rebuke  the  stout-hearted 
are  spoiled."  With  ver.  1  cp.  2  Chron.  xxx.  1  ;  with 
ver.  3  cp.  Isa.  xxxvii.  33  ;  with  ver.  10  cp.  Acts  iv.  27,  28. 
Internal  evidence  fixes  the  date. 

(102 — 104.)  TJiree  after  signal  deliverance  and  special 
harvest  blessing.     About  700.     (Isa.  xxxvii.  30.) 


OF  THE  REIGN  OF  HEZEKTAH.  203 

LXV.  A  Song  of  Harvest  Thanksgiving.  "Blessed 
are  Thy  people,  0  Lord.  Thou  hast  stilled  the  tumult, 
and  all  creation  is  enriched  by  Thy  goodness."  With  ver.  7 
cp.  Matt.  viii.  27  and  Isa.  xvii.  12-14.  This  Psalm  may  be 
adapted  from  one  of  David's  by  his  descendant. 

LXVI.  A  Passover  Song  of  Deliverance  after 
Sore  Trial  and  Earnest  Prayer.  "  Come  and  see  the 
terrible  works  of  God,  who  observes  the  nations,  who  has 
brought  us  out  into  a  wealthy  place."  With  ver.  10  cp.  2 
Peter  i.  7.  Ver.  6  alludes  to  the  two  great  Passover  miracles 
(Exod.  xiv. ;  Josh,  iii.)  ;  ver.  12  may  refer  to  the  famous 
Assyrian  cavalry.  Both  style  and  substance  connect  this 
Psalm  with  lxv.,  but  its  date  cannot  be  certainly  fixed. 
Thanksgiving  after  a  storm  at  sea. 

LXVI  I.  A  Liturgical  Harvest  Song  of  Benedic- 
tion. {Dens  Misereatur.)  "  Bless  us,  that  all  men  may  know 
Thy  saving  health,  and  praise  Thee  together."  Compare 
Acts  i.  7,  8  ;  Psalm  xxii.  27  ;  Num.  vi.  24-6.  Solemnisation 
of  Matrimony  and  second  canticle  at  Evensong. 

Sixth  Term.    The  Decline  and  Fall  of  Judah. 

One  Korahite  Psalm,  two  Asaphite,  and  three  anonymous. 
(105.)     One  Korahite,  probably  occasioned  by   some   un- 
recorded disaster  in  the  later  days  of  the  monarchy. 
XLIV.    A    Didactic    Psalm    in    time    of   Great 
National    Calamity.      "We   have  heard  what  Thou 
didst  for  our  fathers  of  old.      But  now  Thou  hast  cast 
us  off,  yet  we  have  not  forgotten  Thee.     Rise  up  for  our 
help,  O  Lord."    Quoted  (ver.  22),  Rom.  viii.  36.     With  ver. 
17  cp.   Hos.  xi.    12  ;   cp.  also   1   Kings  viii.  33-50.      Con- 
jectures as  to  its  date  range  from  the  days  of  David  to 
those  of  the  Maccabees.     Antiphon  in  Litany. 
(106.)     One  in  time  of  fear  and  trouble. 
LXXI.    A  Psalm  of  trustful  Old  Age  concerning 
God's  Righteousness.    "  From  my  youth  I  have  trusted 
Thee.     Forsake  me  not  in  my  old  age,  for  my  enemies 
are  many.     My  redeemed  soul  shall  praise  Thee."     With 
ver.  17  cp.  Phil.  i.  6.     The  LXX.  gives  this  contradictory 
heading  :   "  A  Psalm  of  David,  of  the  Sons  of  Jonadab, 
and  of  those  who  were  first  led  captive."      It  may  be  a 


204  THE  PSALMS 

Rechabite  (Jer.  xxxv.)  adaptation  of  Psalms  xxii.,  xxxi., 
xxxii.,  and  xl.  ;  others  refer  it  to  Jeremiah.  Visitation  of 
the  Sick.     Last  verse  of  Te  Deum. 

(107,  108.)  Two  AsapJiite  on  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem,  B.C. 
588  (2  Kings  xxv.). 

LXXIV.  A  Didactic  Psalm  on  the  Profanation 
and  Destruction  of  the  Temple.  "  The  enemy  has 
fired  Thy  sanctuary  and  burned  up  all  Thy  synagogues. 
Thou  didst  great  things  for  us  of  old.  Arise,  plead  Thine 
own  cause."  Compare  Jude  5  ;  Matt.  xxi.  13,  xxiii.  38. 
With  ver.  9  cp.  Lam.  ii.  9. 

LXXIX.  A  Sorrowful  Pleading  for  the  Slaugh- 
tered People  and  Ruined  City.  "  Jerusalem  is  wasted, 
Thy  servants  lie  unburied,  and  we  are  brought  very  low. 
Remember  not  our  fathers'  iniquities,  but  deliver  us." 
Compare  Luke  xix.  41-4  and  Lamentations  ;  with  vv.  6,  7 
cp.  Jer.  x.  25  ;  with  vv.  4,  9  cp.  Dan.  ix.  16.  Some 
attribute  these  two  Psalms  to  Shishak's  invasion,  others 
to  the  time  of  the  Maccabees.  See  1  Mace.  i.  44-64,  iv. 
38,  vii.  16,  17,  ix.  26,  27;  2  Mace.  i.  8,  v.  12-16,  viii.  ^3> 
They  may  be  by  Jeremiah.    Ver.  9,  antiphon  in  Litany. 

(109,  no.)  Two  representing  the  darkest  hour  of  the 
Captivity  (2  Chron.  xxxvi.  17-20). 

CXXX.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  God's 
Abundant  Forgiveness.  (Be profundi's.)  "Out  of  the 
depths  I  cry.  I  wait  on  Thee,  and  hope  in  Thee."  Compare 
Rom.  iii.  24,  25  ;  2  Cor.  iv.  8-10  ;  Titus  ii.  14.  Ash  Wednesday. 
A  Penitential  Psalm. 

CXXIX.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  Israel's 
Afflictions.  "  Great  have  been  my  afflictions,  yet  the 
enemy  hath  not  prevailed.  Let  all  Zion's  haters  be 
ashamed."  Compare  John  xvi.  33.  With  ver.  8  cp.  Ruth 
ii.  4. 

Seventh  Term.    The  Restoration  and  the 
Second  Temple. 

The  Psalms  of  this  period  are  only  a  softened  echo  of 
David's  strains ;  not  experimental,  autobiographical  heart- 
searchings,  but  liturgical  and  national  hymns  for  the 
ordinary  Temple  service.     They  lead  us  up  from  the  deep 


OF  THE  RESTORATION.  205 

sorrow  of  the  Captivity,  through  the  mingled  music  of  the 
Songs  of  Ascents,  to  the  four  great  groups  of  Thanksgiving 
Psalms  which  close  the  Psalter. 

(m  — 117.)  A  sequence  of  six  Psalms  and  one  detached 
Psalm,  written  towards  the  close  of  tlie  Captivity  as  the 
prospect  of  return  gradually  brightened,  538 — 536.  (Ezra 
i.  1-6.) 

CI  I.  A  Prayer  of  the  Afflicted  when  he  is 
OVERWHELMED.  "  In  pain  and  loneliness  and  reproach, 
a  weak  and  dying  creature,  I  cry  to  God,  who  endureth 
for  ever,  for  the  time  to  have  pity  on  Zion  is  come." 
Quoted  (vv.  25-7),  Heb.  i.  10-12.  With  ver.  26  cp.  2  Peter 
iii.  10;  with  ver.  13  cp.  Jer.  xxv.  11,  xxix.  10,  Dan. 
ix.  2.  The  heading  of  this  Psalm,  which  contains  many 
thoughts  and  words  from  earlier  psalms,  stands  alone  in 
appointing  it  for  private  devotion.  Ash  Wednesday.  A  Peni- 
tential Psalm.  Ver.  1,  versicles  in  Confirmation  and  Marriage  Services, 
and  Visitation  of  the  Sick. 

CI II.  A  Thanksgiving  for  Individual  and  Na- 
tional SALVATION.  "  Bless  the  Lord  who  forgives,  heals, 
redeems,  and  satisfies,  and  pities  like  a  father.  Brief  is  His 
wrath  and  everlasting  His  mercy."  Quoted  (vv.  15,  16), 
James  i.  10 ;  1  Peter  i.  24.  With  ver.  8  cp.  Exod.  xxxiv. 
6,  7,  2  Peter  iii.  15  ;  with  ver.  13  cp.  Luke  xv.  11-32  ;  with 
ver.  20  cp.  Matt.  vi.  10.  The  evidence  of  language  and 
style  as  well  as  the  connexion  with  cii.  is  against  the 
ascription  to  David.  Ver.  10,  versicles  after  the  Lord's  Prayer  in 
the  Litany. 

CIV.  A  Hallelujah  Psalm  of  Creation.  "  Bless 
the  Lord  who  created  the  heavens  and  earth  and  sustains 
all  His  creatures."  Quoted  (ver.  4),  Heb.  i.  7.  With  ver.  2 
cp.  Matt.  xvii.  2.  The  Psalm  is  an  ode  on  Gen.  i., 
whose  order  is  followed  throughout.  Compare  Job  xxxviii., 
xxxix. ;  1  Cor.  viii.  6;  Rev.  iv.  11.  Its  landscape  of 
mountain,  springs,  and  cedars,  bounded  by  distant  sea 
covered  with  ships  and  swarming  with  a  monster  brood, 
may  be  found  in  Lebanon.     Whitsunday. 

CV.  A  EUCHARISTIC  AND  HALLELUJAH  PSALM  RE- 
COUNTING God's  marvellous  works  from  Abraham's 
Call  to  THE  EXODUS.  "God  promised  Canaan  to 
Abraham,  preserved  his  descendants  in  their  wanderings, 


206  THE  PSALMS 

and  brought  them  out  of  Egypt  with  gladness."  Compare 
Rom.  xv.  4.  Vv.  1 -1 5  are  taken  from  David's  Song  of 
Praise  (i  Chron.  xvi.  8-22  see  p.  64).  Whitsunday.  Used  by 
the  Jews  on  the  First  Day  of  the  week. 

CVI.  A  Hallelujah  Psalm  recounting  the  Rebel- 
lions of  Israel  from  the  Exodus  to  the  Days  of 
THE  JUDGES.  "  Our  fathers  sinned  and  God's  wrath  was 
kindled.  We  have  sinned  with  them,  yet  gather  us  from 
among  the  heathen."  Compare  1  Cor.  x.  1-12;  Dan.  ix. 
With  vv.  47,  48  cp.  1  Chron.  xvi.  35,  36.  Ver.  48  is  the 
doxology  added  by  the  compiler  of  Book  IV.  The  terse 
and  simple  style  of  cv.,  cvi.  indicates  that  they  may  have 
been  meant  for  instructing  the  young. 

CVII.  A  Eucharistic  Psalm  of  Life  in  Six 
STANZAS.  "  Thank  the  Lord  for  His  goodness  to  the 
wanderers  (cp.  John  viii.  1 2),  the  prisoners  (cp.  Luke  iv.  1 8  ; 
Rom.  vii.  24,  25),  the  sick  (cp.  Matt.  iv.  23),  the  storm- 
tossed  (cp.  Matt.  viii.  26),  and  the  perishing  (cp.  John  vi.)." 
Matt.  vi.  25,  26  may  be  regarded  as  its  keynote.  Isaiah 
and  Job  are  frequently  quoted  and  referred  to.  With  ver.  9 
cp.  Luke  i.  53.  Ver.  16  may  refer  to  the  capture  of  Babylon 
(Isa.  xlv.  1,  2).  With  ver.  20  cp.  John  iv.  50,  Luke  vii.  7  ; 
with  ver.  43  cp.  Hos.  xiv.  9.  This  Psalm  was  perhaps  sung 
at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  described  in  Ezra  iii.  Thanks- 
giving after  a  storm  at  sea. 

CXXXVII.  A  Reminiscence  of  Silent  Suffering 
IN  BABYLON.  "  We  wept  in  Babylon,  thinking  of  the  Zion 
we  can  never  forget.  O  Lord,  recompense  Edom  and 
Babylon."     Compare  Obadiah  and  Rev.  xviii. 

( 1 1 8 — 121.)  A  triplet  of  So?tgs  on  approaching  and  entering 
Jerusalem,  with  a  KoraJiite  thanksgiving  as  a  sequel,  536. 
(Ezra  iii.) 

CXX.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  Deceitful 
Tongues  and  Haters  of  Peace.  "Deliver  me  from 
lying  lips,  for  I  dwell  among  the  turbulent,  yet  long  for 
peace."     Compare  Ezra  iv.  1,  4  and  John  iv.  9. 

CXXI.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  Israel's 
KEEPER.  "  My  help  cometh  from  the  Lord.  He  will  keep 
thee  from  all  evil."  Compare  Luke  xii.  4-7.  "  Keep " 
occurs  six  times.     See  R.V. 

CXXII.    A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  Joyous 


OF  THE  RESTORATION.  207 

Entrance  into  the  Holy  City.  "We  stand  within 
thy  gates,  where  are  the  thrones  of  David's  house.  Peace 
be  within  thee,  Jerusalem."  Compare  Heb.  xii.  22  ;  Isa.  xxx. 
29  ;  Exod.  xxiii.  17.  Internal  evidence  is  against  David's 
authorship,  and  his  name  is  omitted  in  the  LXX. 

LXXXV.  Praise  for  Restoration  and  Prayer 
FOR  THE  RESTORED.  "  Lord,  Thou  hast  forgiven,  and 
turned  our  captivity.  Our  land  shall  yield  her  increase. 
Quicken  us  again."  With  vv.  10,  11  cp.  Rom.  iii.  25,  26, 
John  i.  14.  Christmas  Day.  Ver.  7,  versicles  before  the  Collect  for 
the  Day. 

(122 — 125.)  Four  Songs  while  the  work  was  interrupted 
and  opposed  by  their  enemies,  445 — 433.     (Neh.  iv.-vi.) 

CXXIII.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  the  Eye 
OF  HOPE.  (Oculus  Sperans  was  the  old  name  of  the 
Psalm.)  "  Filled  with  the  foe's  scorning  and  contempt,  we 
look  to  Thee,  our  Master."  Compare  Col.  iii.  23,  24,  and 
Neh.  ii.  19,  iv.  4,  ix.  36,  37. 

CXXIV.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  Hope 
NOT  PUT  TO  Shame.  "Had  not  the  Lord  been  for  us, 
we  had  been  overwhelmed.  But  He  is  our  Help,  and  we 
are  escaped."  Compare  Rom.  viii.  31.  David's  name  is 
omitted  in  the  chief  versions,  and  in  some  MSS.  If  origin- 
ally from  his  hand,  it  may  have  been  adapted  to  the 
experience  of  the  restored  Jews,  as  a  sequel  to  cxxiii. 
Thanksgiving  after  Victory.     Ver.  8,  versicles  in  Confirmation  Service. 

CXXV.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  Israel's 
Defence.  "  The  Lord  is  round  about  His  people  as  the 
mountains  are  round  about  Jerusalem."  Compare  Gal. 
vi.  16  ;  Zech.  ii.  5. 

CXXVI.  A  Song  of  Ascents  concerning  the 
Turning  of  Zion's  Captivity.  "  Our  joy  is  like  a  dream, 
as  we  rejoice  over  the  great  things  the  Lord  hath  done  for 
us."  Compare  Matt.  v.  4 ;  John  xvi.  22  ;  Gal.  vi.  7-9  ; 
Luke  viii.  39.  Vv.  5,  6  were  engraved  on  the  walls  of  the  Beau- 
champ  Tower  by  Edmund  Poole,  imprisoned  there  in  1562. 

( 1 26, 1 27.)  Two  Liturgical  Prayers  for  the  Second  Temple 
(Neh.  xi.  22,  23). 

XCIV.  A  Lyric  Psalm  for  the  Fourth  Day  of 
THE  Week.  (LXX.  heading.)  "How  long  shall  the 
arrogant  wicked  afflict  Thine  heritage?     The  Lord   shall 


208  THE  PSALMS 

cut  them  off  in  their  own  evil."  Quoted  (ver.  n),  I  Cor 
iii.  20.  With  ver.  I  cp.  Heb.  x.  30,  Deut.  xxxii.  35  ;  with 
ver.  3  cp.  Psalm  xiii.  1;  with  ver.  12  cp.  Heb.  xii.  3-1 1, 
James  i.  12;  with  ver.  21  cp.  Matt,  xxvii.  1-4.  The  con- 
jectures as  to  the  date  of  this  Psalm,  which  the  LXX. 
ascribes  to  David,  are  very  numerous.  It  borrows  from 
many  earlier  ones.      The  Jews  used  it  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles. 

CXLIV.  A  New  Song  praying  for  Israel's  Pros- 
perity. "  Rescue  me  from  the  hand  of  strangers.  Happy 
and  prosperous  are  Thy  people."  With  ver.  12  cp.  1  Peter 
ii.  5.  Vv.  i-n  is  made  up  of  extracts  from  David's  Psalms. 
To  these  a  national  prayer  is  added. 

(128 — 130.)  Three  Liturgical  Thanksgivings  for  the 
Second  Temple. 

CXXXIV.  A  Concluding  Song  of  Ascents  con- 
cerning the  Priestly  Benediction.  The  pilgrims  at 
the  close  of  their  journey  greet  the  priests  and  Levites 
in  the  Temple  (vv.  1,  2)  keeping  their  night  watch  (see 
1  Chron.  ix.  33  ;  Luke  ii.  37  ;  Rev.  xvi.  15),  who  bless  them 
in  return  (Num.  vi.  23-7)  ;  cp.  1  Tim.  ii.  8. 

The  first  seven  Songs  of  Ascents  were  written  alter  the 
Captivity ;  of  the  next  seven,  two  are  by  David,  three  (?) 
by  Solomon,  and  two  were  written  during  the  Captivity. 
The  fifteenth  was  added  after  the  Captivity  as  a  doxology. 

CXXXV.  A  Hallelujah  Psalm  acknowledging 
Israel's  God  to  be  the  one  true  God.  "  Praise  the 
great  Creator,  who  chose  and  redeemed  Israel  and  gave 
them  Canaan."  Quoted  (ver.  14),  Heb.  x.  30.  With  ver. 
5  cp.  Mark  xii.  32,  1  Cor.  viii.  6,  Neh.  ix.  5-38.  This  is 
a  mosaic  from  the  earlier  Psalms  and  prophets,  and  was 
probably  sung  in  alternate  responses  by  priest  and  people. 

CXXXVI.  The  Great  Hallel.  A  Eucharistic 
PSALM  (in  alternate  responses,  with  a  burden  sung  in  full 
chorus).  "  Give  thanks  to  God,  whose  mercy  endureth  for 
ever,  for  our  creation,  redemption,  preservation,  and  all  the 
blessings  of  this  life."  Compare  1  Tim.  iv.  4.  This  "  Jewish 
national  anthem  "  is  also  a  mosaic  of  earlier  Psalms,  and 
the  three  following  groups  may  be  regarded  as  expansions 
of  it.  It  was  sung  on  the  evening  of  the  battle  of  Emmaus.  B.c.  167. 
See  p.  168. 

(131  — 138.)     Seven  Royal  Psalms^  with  a  closing  Doxology 


OF  THE  RESTORATION.  209 

concerning  the  joyful  coming  of  Jehovah  the  righteous  King. 
A  Missionary  Hallel.  The  LXX.  ascribes  XCIII. —  C.  to 
David,  and  XCII.  has  been  attributed  to  him  also.  Others 
refer  all  these  Psalms  to  Isaiah  at  the  time  of  Hezekiah's 
Reformation,  and  they  closely  resemble  his  later  prophecies. 
Others  make  them  post-Restoration  Psalms.  They  are 
evidently  liturgical  and  continuous. 

XCII.  A  Song  for  the  Sabbath  Day  to  God 
THE  CREATOR.  "  Thou  hast  made  me  glad  through  Thy 
works.  Thine  enemies  shall  perish  and  the  righteous  shall 
flourish."  With  ver.  5  cp.  Rom.  xi.  33  ;  with  ver.  10  cp. 
2  Cor.  i.  21,  1  John  ii.  20.  Ver.  13  alludes  to  the  trees 
in  the  Temple  Courts.  "  Jehovah  "  occurs  seven  times  in 
this  Psalm,  which  was  used  at  the  early  morning  sacrifice. 
The  Talmud  explains  its  title  by  saying  it  is  "  a  Psalm  for 
the  future  age  of  the  Messiah,  the  day  which  is  wholly  a 

Sabbath."  Used  by  the  Jews  on  the  Seventh  Day  of  the  week  (Num. 
xxviii.  9,  10),  and  on  the  Second  Day  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles. 

XCIII.  A  Psalm  of  Praise  to  God  the  Ruler 
OF  ALL  CREATION.  "  Thy  throne  is  established  of  old, 
and  holiness  becometh  Thine  house."  Compare  Rev.  xix.  6 
and  Psalm  xcii.  8.  Used  by  the  Jews  on  the  Sixth  Day  of  the 
week. 

XCV.  A  Psalm  of  Praise  to  God  the  Shepherd 
OF  ISRAEL.  (  Venite.)  "  Worship  God  joyfully,  and  harden 
not  your  hearts  as  your  fathers  did."  Quoted,  Heb.  iii.  7 — 
iv.  11;  "  in  David "  merely  means  "  in  the  Psalms." 
With  ver.  4  Cp.  I  Kings  XX.  28.  Used  by  the  Jews  on  Friday 
Evening.  It  has  formed  the  Invitatory  Psalm  at  Morning  Prayer  in 
both  the  Eastern  and  Western  Church  from  very  early  times. 

XCVI.  A  New  Song  to  God  the  Righteous 
JUDGE.  "  Give  God  the  glory  due  to  Him,  all  peoples, 
and  let  the  earth  exult  in  His  coming."  With  ver.  10  cp. 
Act  xvii.  22-31.  This  Psalm  is  an  adaptation  of  the  second 
part  of  David's  Song  of  Praise  (1  Chron.  xvi.  23-33). 

XCVI  I.  A  Psalm  of  Praise  to  God  exalted  far 
ABOVE  ALL  GODS.  "  Let  earth  rejoice  and  tremble,  and 
ye  that  love  the  Lord  hate  evil."  Quoted  (ver.  7),  Heb.  i.  6. 
With  ver.  1  cp.  Psalm  lxv.  5  ;  with  ver.  10  cp.  2  Tim.  ii.  19 ; 
with  ver.  1 1  cp.  Mai.  iv.  2. 

XCVI II.  A  New  Song  to  God  who  hath  wrought 
Salvation.     {Cantate   Domino^)     "  Let    the   whole   earth 

14 


210  THE  PSALMS 

rejoice,  for  t3ie  Lord's  salvation  is  known  to  all."  With 
ver.  I  cp.  i  Cor.  xv.  $7  >  with  vv.  8,  9  cp.  Rom.  viii.  21-3. 
First  Canticle  at  Evensong. 

XCIX.  A  Song  of  Praise  to  the  Holy  God  who 
HEARS  PRAYER.  "  The  Lord  is  great  in  Zion.  He  heard 
His  servants  of  old,  and  they  kept  His  statutes."  With  vv. 
3,  5,  9  (R.V.)  cp.  Isa.  vi.  3,  Rev.  iv.  8 ;  with  ver.  9  cp.  Luke 
xxiv.  52,  Acts  i.  12,  John  xii.  41  ;  cp.  Rev.  xi.  15-18. 

C.  A  Psalm  for  the  Thankoffering  to  the 
Good  God  whom  all  serve  joyfully.  (Jubilate^ 
"  Let  all  lands  know  that  Jehovah  is  God,  and  rejoice.'' 
Compare  Acts  ii.  46,  47.  With  ver.  5  cp.  2  Chron.  v.  13. 
Second  Canticle  at  Morning  Prayer. 

The  wide  recognition  of  God's  wonderful  interposition  on 
behalf  of  His  captive  people  is  the  original  theme  of  these 
eight  Psalms  (Ezek.  xxxvi.  21-4;  Dan.  iv.  17,  25,  35). 
Their  complete  fulfilment  is  to  be  found  in  the  universal 
preaching  of  the  gospel  and  the  Advent  in  glory  of  Christ 

(139 — 144.)  Six  Psalms  forming  the  Egyptian  Hallel 
for  the  Passover,  very  doubtfully  attributed  to  David,  more 
probably  post-Restoration. 

CXI  1 1.  A  Hallelujah  Psalm  on  the  God  of 
Glory  AND  Grace.  "  Praise  the  Lord.  His  glory  is 
high  above  the  heavens,  yet  He  humbleth  Himself  to  raise 
the  poor."  WTith  vv.  5,  6  cp.  Phil.  ii.  5-8.  Compare  the  songs 
of  Hannah  and  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  Easter  Day.  Versicles 
in  Confirmation  Service. 

CXIV.  The  Deliverance  of  God's  Nation 
THROUGH  THE  Red  Sea  AND  JORDAN.  "  At  the  presence 
of  Jacob's  God,  sea  and  flood  were  driven  back,  and  the 
rock  became  a  fountain  of  water."  With  ver.  7  cp.  Matt. 
xxiv.  29,  30  ;  with  ver.  8  cp.  I  Cor.  x.  2,  4.     Easter  Day. 

CXV.  A  Hallelujah  Psalm  contrasting  the 
God  of  Heaven  with  the  Idols  of  Men.  {Non  nobis, 
Domine^)  "  Not  unto  us  be  glory.  For  God  hath  been 
mindful  of  us  and  will  bless  us."  Vv.  1-8  and  16-18  are 
said  by  the  congregation,  vv.  9-1 1  by  the  Levites  and  choir, 
vv.  12-15  by  the  Priest.  Compare  1  Cor.  viii.  4;  1  John 
v.  21. 

CXVI.  A  Hallelujah  Psalm  on  the  Deliver- 
ance OF  God's  Servant.     "  I  was  brought  low  and  God 


OF   THE  RESTORATION.  211 

saved  me.  What  shall  I  render  unto  Him  ? "  Quoted 
(ver.  10),  2  Cor.  iv.  13.  With  ver.  16  cp.  Isa.  lxv.  23,  1 
Cor.  vii.  14.  It  illustrates  the  depth  of  religious  life  in 
individuals  at  this  time.     Churching  of  Women. 

CXVII.  A  Hallelujah  Psalm.  "Let  all  nations 
praise  the  Lord."  Quoted,  Rom.  xv.  1 1.  This  shortest  of 
the  Psalms  seems  to  have  formed  the  usual  doxology  with 
which  the  congregation  was  dismissed. 

CXV1II.  The  Great  Hosanna.  A  Eucharistic 
PSALM.  "  The  Lord  is  on  our  side,  and  in  His  name  will  I 
cut  off  all  the  nations  that  compass  me  round.  I  shall  not 
die,  but  live,  and  declare  His  works."  Quoted  (ver.  6),  Heb. 
xiii.  6  ;  (ver.  22),  Matt.  xxi.  42,  Acts  iv.  11,  1  Peter  ii.  4-7  ; 
(vv.  25,  26),  Matt.  xxi.  9,  xxiii.  39.  The  Psalm  is  in 
alternate  responses,  and  seems  designed  for  solemn  entrance 
into  the  Temple  on  some  great  festival,  perhaps  that  of 
Neh.  viii.  13-18.  Easter  Day.  Used  by  the  Jews  on  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles. 

These  six  Psalms  are  termed  the  great  Hallel  by  some 
Jewish  authorities,  others  giving  that  name  to  cxxxvi.  ; 
cxi.  and  cxii.  formed  an  introduction  to  them.  They  were 
used  at  the  three  great  Feasts,  at  the  New  Moons,  and  at 
the  Feast  of  Dedication.  At  the  Passover,  cxiii.,  cxiv. 
were  sung  before  the  second  cup,  and  cxv. — cxviii.  after 
the  fourth  cup,  when  supper  was  ended  (Matt.  xxvi.  30). 

(145 — 149.)  Five  Psalms,  forming  a  Second  Hallel  for 
daily  Morning  Prayer.  The  LXX.  attributes  cxlvi. — cxlviii. 
to  Haggai  and  Zechariah,  and  the  group  may  have  been 
written  for  the  Dedication  of  the  Wall  of  Jerusalem,  433. 
(Neh.  xii.  27-43.) 

CXLVI.  A  Hallelujah  Psalm.  "  Praise  the  Lord, 
who  is  thy  Help  and  Hope,  O  my  soul."  Compare  Rev. 
i.  4-6. 

CXLVII.  A  Hallelujah  Psalm.  "  Praise  the  Lord, 
who  feedeth  and  upholdeth  all,  O  Jerusalem."  Compare 
Rev.  iv.  10,  11. 

CXLVIII.  A  Hallelujah  Psalm.  "Praise  the 
Lord,  all-sovereign  Creator,  ye  children  of  men  with  all 
the  company  of  heaven."  Compare  Rev.  vii.  11,  12.  The 
Benedicite  is  a  paraphrase  of  this  Psalm. 

CXLIX.    A   New  Song  and   Hallelujah  Psalm. 


212  THE  PSALMS. 

"  Praise  the  Lord,  who  is  King  of  Israel,  in  the  assembly 
of  saints."     Compare  Rev.  xix.  5. 

CL.  A  Hallelujah  Psalm.  "  Praise  the  Lord  in 
His  sanctuary  and  in  the  firmament,  all  that  hath  breath." 
Compare  Rev.  v.  8-14.  This  forms  a  doxology  to  the  whole 
Psalter.  Ver.  6  was  chanted  by  Severinus,  missionary  to  the  tribes 
of  the  Upper  Danube,  when  he  lay  dying  (a.d.  462)  and  his  brethren 
could  not  sing  for  sorrow. 

(150.)  One  Psalm  probably  written  by  Ezra,  but  also 
attributed  to  David  and  Daiiiel. 

CXIX.  "The  Great  Alphabet"  {Masorali),  "the 
Golden  A.B.C."  {Luther),  an  Acrostic  Psalm  of  the 
Law.  Compare  1  Peter  i.  23.  All  its  verses,  saving  122  and 
132,  refer  to  the  Scriptures  under  one  of  these  ten  names 
(the  Jews  connect  their  number  with  the  Decalogue),  word, 
ways,  testimonies,  judgments,  law,  statutes,  ordinances, 
precepts,  commandments,  faithfulness.  This  Psalm,  which 
has  been  called  "  an  epitome  of  all  true  religion,"  "  the 
Biblical  expression  of  the  unchanging  Law  of  Right,"  and 
"  the  Jewish  Ode  to  Duty,"  illustrates  the  close  of  the 
Canon,  and  the  new  value  and  importance  attached  to  the 
written  Word  by  the  restored  Jews  (Psalm  cii.  18),  the 
succession  of  whose  prophets  ended  in  Malachi ;  whose 
kings  were  no  longer  of  the  house  of  David  ;  and  whose 
priests  no  longer  ministered  before  an  Ark  over-shadowed 
with  the  Divine  Glory.  From  the  days  described  in  Neh. 
viii.  1- 1 2,  the  Book  which  contained  the  record  of  their  past 
and  the  promise  of  their  future  was  regularly  multiplied, 
and  taught,  and  made  the  basis  of  an  elaborate  doctrine. 
When  we  meet  the  Jews  again  in  the  New  Testament,  their 
veneration  for  it  has  degenerated  into  a  new  form  of 
superstition  and  idolatry. 


EIGHTH   TERM. 

The  Days  of  the  Son  of  Man. 
The  Gospel  Preached  to  the  Jews. 

b.c.  6— a.d.  51. 

6*.  Matthew,  S.  Mark,    S.  Ltike,    S.  John,  Acts  I. — XII .,  James, 
Peter,  Jude,  2  Peter,  Hebrews.     (130  chapters.) 

"  Then  opened  He  their  mind,  that  they  might  understand  the  Scriptures." 
-Luke  xxiv.  45. 


29th  MONTH  (32). 

Matt.  I.— XL  19,  XII.,  XIII. 
Mark  I.— VI.  13.  Luke  I.— IX. 
6,  XL  14— XII.  12.    John  I.— 

V.* 

30th  MONTH  (33). 


j    31st  MONTH  (32). 

Matt.  XXIII.— XXVII.  Mark 
XII.  38— XVI.  Luke  XX. 
45— XXIV.  John  XII.  20— 
XXI.     Acts  I.— VIII. 


XXVL^M^vf^  !  3-*  MONTH  (33). 

XII.  37,  XIV.   3-9.     Luke  IX.  Acts  IX.— XII.  James,  1  Peter, 

7— XI.    13,  XII.    13— XX.    44-  i  Jude'    2  Peter>   Hebrews»   Acts 

J0hnVI.-XII.i9.  !  XIII.,  XIV. 

I.  General  Summary. 

"npHE  Days  of  the  Son  of  Man"  (Luke  xvii.  22) 
X  prefaced  the  last  chapter  in  the  history  of  Israel  and 
the  first  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  Church.  We  consider 
them  in  the  first  aspect  this  term  ;  in  the  second,  next  term. 
Christ  came  4000  years  after  the  Creation  ;  nearly  1 500 
years  after  the  Exodus  ;  1000  years  after  the  First  Temple 
was  built ;  and  500  years  after  the  Second  Temple ;  in 
an  age  when  the  fair  promise  of  the  Restoration  had 
been  blighted  (see  pp.  160,  169).  Through  the  Roman 
conquerors  of  Palestine,  detested  Edom  had  given   Israel 

*  For  the  Gospels  see  p.  244.  They  are  read  in  about  85  days,  and  contain 
3779  verses.  Therefore,  as  their  chapters  are  much  broken  up,  it  will  be  a 
good  rule  to  read  them  at  the  rate  of  ^-ff^  =  44J  verses  a  day. 

213 


214  EIGHTH  TERM. 

a  king  in  Herod,  the  low-born  usurper,  tyrant  over  an 
unwilling  people,  and  more  than  suspected  apostate  (see 
p.  228).  When  Archelaus  was  deposed,  the  Jews  sought  the 
direct  rule  of  a  Roman  procurator,  thinking  they  would  be 
freer  to  manage  their  own  affairs  thus.  And  so  the  sceptre 
finally  departed  even  in  name  from  Judah,  for  what  Josephus 
calls  "Agrippa's  illegal  assumption  of  the  procurator's 
power  "  from  A.D.  41 — 44  cannot  be  reckoned  as  a  restora- 
tion of  the  monarchy.  Agrippa  II.,  the  last  descendant  of 
the  Asmoneans,  sided  with  the  Romans  when  war  broke 
out  in  A.D.  66  The  Roman  had  always  shown  an  aptitude 
for  assimilating  conquered  nations  to  himself.  The  Jew 
alone  doggedly  refused  to  be  in  friendly  relation  to  him. 
Each  utterly  misunderstood,  hated,  and  despised  the  other, 
and  though  Csesar  tolerated  Judaism  as  he  tolerated  the 
religions  of  all  his  subjects,  many  insults  and  outrages  were 
offered  to  it  by  his  officials  and  soldiers. 

As  for  the  Jews,  though  the  old  demon  of  idolatry  had 
been  finally  cast  out  (Luke  xi.  24-6),  their  creed  had 
shrunk  into  a  dead  formula,  their  religion  into  a  network 
of  elaborate  rules,  which  nourished  self-righteousness  and 
fanaticism,  but  left  out  "  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law  " 
(Matt,  xxiii.  23).  Murder  in  the  name  of  orthodoxy  they 
could  justify ;  what  they  could  not  tolerate  was  teaching 
of  truths  new  and  old  that  opposed  itself  to  their  interests. 
And  while  the  formalist  is  always  harder  to  influence  than 
the  worldling  who  makes  no  religious  profession,  his  pe- 
dantic scrupulosity  is  too  often  compatible  with  indifference 
or  actual  unbelief.  Let  us,  then,  take  heed  lest  even  in  the 
midst  of  our  religious  observances  the  law  of  Christ  lose 
its  hold  upon  our  hearts,  lest  we  deceive  ourselves,  and 
substitute  a  routine  use  of  the  means  of  grace  for  a  life  hour 
by  hour  under  the  power  of  grace. 

Again  and  again  the  Jews  rose  in  small  fruitless  seditions, 
and,  as  Tacitus  admits,  their  patience  could  endure  no 
longer  when  Gessius  Florus  proved  even  more  insolent  and 
rapacious  than  his  predecessors.  Suddenly  they  made 
themselves  masters  of  Jerusalem,  and  in  November  66 
inflicted  a  crushing  defeat  upon  the  Romans  at  Beth-horon. 
Vespasian  and  Titus,  both  afterwards  Emperors,  were  sent 
to  subdue  the  revolted  province,  the  country  was  conquered, 


GENERAL  SUMMARY,  215 

and  in  70  Jerusalem  was  besieged.  Her  children  were 
within  her  (Luke  xix.  43,44),  for  the  blockade  began  at  the 
Passover,  just  40  years  (always  a  significant  period  in  sacred 
history)  after  the  Lamb  of  God  had  been  slain,  and  the  city 
was  crowded  to  suffocation.  It  seemed  as  if  the  nation  had 
given  itself  a  "rendezvous  of  extermination,"  and  history 
tells  no  tale  of  such  unspeakable  horror  and  overwhelming 
misery  as  that  of  the  awful  fulfilment  of  their  awful  words 
to  Pilate  (Matt  xxiii.  35,  xxvii.  25).  Within,  the  distracted 
people  devoured  each  other,  until  all  were  devoured  by  the 
irresistible  foe  without.  Josephus,  who  was  no  Christian, 
says  in  his  famous  History  that  it  was  certainly  God  who 
had  brought  the  Romans  to  punish  His  people ;  and  that 
He  had  doomed  this  city  to  destruction  as  a  polluted  city, 
and  was  resolved  to  purge  His  sanctuary  by  fire.  Even 
Titus  felt  himself  to  be  the  instrument  of  a  calamity  far 
crueller  than  he  wished  or  intended,  and  said,  as  he  looked 
at  the  city's  defences  :  "  God  has  been  my  helper !  God 
it  was  that  pulled  down  the  Jews  from  these  formidable 
walls,  for  what  could  the  hands  of  men  or  their  engines  have 
availed  against  them  ?  "  With  the  obstinacy  of  despair 
they  contested  every  inch  ;  the  Temple  streamed  with  the 
blood  of  its  priests ;  its  altar  slopes  were  piled  with  corpses 
(cp.  2  Kings  xxiii.  16)  ;  and  on  the  same  day  of  the  year 
that  Nebuchadnezzar  had  burned  it,  the  House  of  God  was 
fired,  and  sank  in  ashes  (Matt,  xxiii.  38,  xxiv.  2).  Without 
the  city  gates  (Heb.  xiii.  12)  Jews  were  crucified  in  such 
multitudes  that  "room  was  wanting  for  the  crosses  and 
crosses  for  the  carcases  "  ;  they  were  sold  for  slaves  in  such 
multitudes  that  at  last  none  would  buy  them.  For  the 
second  time,  Jerusalem  was  razed  to  the  ground,  and 
disappears  from  history  for  60  years. 

In  A.D.  132  the  crushed  people  made  a  final  revolt  under 
Bar-Cocheba,  who  claimed  to  be  the  Messiah.  When  this 
had  been  suppressed,  their  God-given  land  was  legally 
appropriated  by  the  Romans,  and  the  plough  passed  over 
desolate  and  desecrated  Moriah.  A  new  city  called  .-Elia 
Capitolina  was  reared  on  Zion,  and  peopled  by  a  Roman 
colony.  None  but  pagans  or  Christians  were  suffered  to 
enter  it,  but  the  capitation  tax  the  Jews  had  formerly  paid 
for  the  Temple  worship  (Matt.  xvii.  24)  was  still  exacted 


216  EIGHTH  TERM. 

from  them  and  used  to  erect  a  temple  to  Jupiter  Capitolinus 
on  Mount  Moriah  (John  xix.  15).  For  200  years  the  name 
of  Jerusalem  was  never  heard,  and  Judaism  henceforth  was 
a  religion  deprived  of  its  two  most  characteristic  features, 
a  temple  and  sacrifices. 

"  Thus  fell  and  for  ever "  (says  Dean  Milman)  "  the 
metropolis  of  the  Jewish  State.  It  might  almost  seem  to 
be  a  place  under  a  peculiar  curse ;  it  has  probably  seen 
a  far  greater  portion  of  human  misery  than  any  other  spot 
upon  the  earth."  In  B.C.  588  it  had  already  been  taken  ten 
times,  and  unsuccessfully  besieged  twice,  and  we  read  of 
twelve  other  captures  or  sieges  between  588  and  the 
Christian  era.  It  had  had  many  privileges  and  sinned 
many  sins  (all  summed  up  in  1  Thess.  ii.  15,  16).  Its  highest 
privilege  was  to  receive  the  words  of  God  from  His  own 
Son  ;  its  greatest  sin  was  the  deliberate  rejection  of  both 
message  and  Messenger.  Then  it  suffered  the  heaviest 
punishment  history  records  (Luke  xiii.  34,  35).  Comparison 
of  Matt.  x.  23,  xvi.  28,  xxiv.  34,  and  John  xxi.  22  shows 
that  its  Fall  was  a  Coming,  though  not  the  final  Coming  of 
Christ.  (See  Alford,  etc.,  etc.)  He  had  five  times  predicted 
it  and  foretold  many  of  its  most  striking  features.  The 
great  prophecy  of  Matt.  xxiv.  blends,  so  that  we  cannot 
completely  discriminate  them  until  all  has  been  fulfilled, 
the  three  catastrophes  which  close  the  three  Dispensations 
of  the  world's  history,  both  the  former  being  types  of  the 
last,  viz.,  the  Flood  in  the  past  at  the  end  of  the  Patriarchal 
Dispensation,  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem  in  the  near  future  at 
the  end  of  the  Jewish  Dispensation,  and  the  final  Judgment 
of  the  Son  of  Man  in  the  distant  future,  at  the  end  of  the 
Christian  Dispensation  (see  p.  25). 

Dean  Stanley  notes  only  three  other  events  of  equal 
magnitude  with  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem  :  the  Fall  of  Babylon, 
which  ended  Primaeval  History  ;  the  Fall  of  Rome,  which 
ended  Classical  History ;  and  the  Fall  of  Constantinople, 
which  ended  Mediaeval  History  (see  p.  138).  But  the  Fall 
of  Jerusalem  has  the  peculiar  interest  of  involving  the 
dissolution  of  a  religious  dispensation  with  the  agony  of  an 
expiring  nation. 

Or,  looking  only  at  Hebrew  history,  we  may  observe 
three   Desolations  of  God's  House  :  by  the  Philistines  in 


GENERAL  SUMMARY.  217 

B.C.  1 1 16;  by  the  Chaldeans  in  B.C.  588;  and  by  the 
Romans  in  A.D.  70 ;  and  two  crowning  catastrophes  for 
Israel,  viz.,  that  of  B.C.  588,  which  through  Jeremiah's 
preaching  became  a  new  birth  to  the  Chosen  People ;  and 
that  of  A.D.  70,  which  through  Christ's  preaching  led  to  the 
development  of  the  Church.  On  both  occasions  the  city 
might  have  been  saved  had  it  listened  to  the  preacher 
{Dr.  Payne  Smith). 

Again  we  observe  that  the  Chosen  People  were  three 
times  expatriated  :  to  Egypt  B.C.  1706  to  149 1  ;  to  Babylon 
B.C.  606  to  536 ;  and  to  all  lands  from  A.D.  70  onwards.  In 
each  case  the  expatriation  and  the  return  was  foretold,  and 
its  period  fixed,  clearly  in  the  second  and  vaguely  in  the 
other  cases  (Gen.  xv.  13  ;  Jer.  xxv.  12  ;  Dan.  viii.  14 ;  Luke 
xxi.  24).  As  they  have  twice  literally  returned,  historical 
analogy  points  to  a  third  literal  return.  See  also  Isa.  xi. 
11,  12;  Amos  ix.  15,  passages  not  applicable  to  B.C.  536. 
Fifty  years  ago  there  were  scarcely  8000  Jews  in  Palestine. 
Now  (1892)  42,000  of  the  58,000  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem 
are  Jews,  and  there  are  at  least  100,000  Jews  in  Palestine, 
whose  number  steadily  increases  (cp.  p.  141).  Other  con- 
quered and  captive  peoples  have  vanished  utterly,  this  "  in- 
exhaustible race  "  has  survived  all  the  determined  efforts  of 
Pharaoh,  Nebuchadnezzar,  Titus,  and  others  to  abolish  it ; 
and  the  Prussian  king  who  asked  for  the  briefest  and  most 
convincing  statement  of  the  evidences  of  Christianity  had 
it  in  the  one  word  "  Israel." 

Israel's  downfall  began  in  B.C.  740,  and  was  consummated 
in  A.D.  70.  Since  then  it  has  ceased  to  be  the  medium  of 
God's  dealings  with  mankind,  and  although  represented  in 
nearly  all  the  states  and  kingdoms  of  the  world,  it  has 
never  been  recognised  as  one  of  them.  The  legend  of  the 
Jew  Ahasuerus  who  spurned  Christ  on  His  way  to  Calvary, 
and  was  doomed  to  roam  the  earth  till  He  came  again  in 
glory,  simply  sums  up  the  nation  in  the  individual  (Deut. 
xxviii.  25,  R.V.).  In  Milman's  "History  of  the  Jews" 
(Routledge,  3^.  6d.)  may  be  read  the  story  of  its  wrongs 
and  oppressions  for  the  last  eighteen  centuries,  wrongs  such 
as  no  other  race  could  have  survived.  Even  as  I  write, 
Western  Christendom  having  at  last  learned  that  there  are 
better  ways  of  serving  Christ  than  by  continuing  to  bring 


218  EIGHTH   TERM. 

His  blood  (Acts  v.  28)  upon  every  generation  of  His  own 
guilty  nation,  is  protesting  against  new  outrages  upon  the 
Jews  of  Eastern  Europe.  Meanwhile  we  hear  of  this  new 
and  growing  desire  among  them  to  return  to  their  own 
land,  and  in  Bessarabia  there  is  the  dim  dawn  of  a  national 
recognition  of  Him  whom  they  once  rejected  (Zech.  xii.  10). 
God  has  called  Israel  an  everlasting  nation  (Jer.  xxxi.  35-7  ; 
Isa.  xliv.  21,  liv.  10,  lxvi.  22),  and  promised  it  a  hopeful 
future  (Jer.  xxix.  1 1,  xxxi.  17,  R.V.).  Our  duty  to  it  as 
Christians  is  plain  (Psalm  cxxii.  6  ;  Isa.  lxii.  7 ;  Rom.  xi. 
25-32,  R.V.). 

II.  Books  to  be  Read. 

(See  "Oxford  Helps,"  §  xv.) 

We  have  often  turned  already  for  explanation  of  the  Old 
Testament  to  the  New  Testament  as  its  continuation  and 
completion.  We  now  find  in  our  study  of  the  last  seven 
terms  the  best  interpretation  of  the  New  Testament.  It 
consists  of  four  biographical  sketches,  one  narrative  con- 
cerning some  missionaries,  twenty-one  letters,  and  one 
description  of  a  heavenly  vision  (Liddon).  It  is  com- 
monly regarded  as  the  work  of  eight  writers,  of  whom  six 
were  apostles.  There  is,  however,  reason,  as  we  shall  see, 
to  regard  it  as  the  work  of  nine  authors,  of  whom  four  only 
were  apostles,  two  were  the  Lord's  brethren,  and  three 
wrote  under  the  express  guidance  of  S.  Peter  and  S. 
Paul.  Of  these  nine,  we  make  acquaintance  with  all  save 
S.  Paul  this  term.  Geographically,  we  may  note,  that  S. 
Matthew,  S.  James,  and  S.  Jude  wrote  in  Palestine  ;  S. 
John  in  Asia  Minor ;  S.  Luke,  S.  Paul,  and  perhaps 
S.  Peter  mainly  in  Europe  ;  and  the  apparent  connexion 
of  S.  Mark  and  the  author  of  Hebrews  with  Alexandria 
makes  them  representatives  of  Africa.  Chronologically, 
1  Thessalonians  (A.D.  52)  is  its  earliest,  and  S.  John's 
Gospel,  written  some  45  years  afterwards,  its  latest  book, 
and  S.  Paul's  Epistles  are  most  of  them  earlier  than  the 
five  General  Epistles  and  the  Gospels.  We,  however,  not 
only  begin  with  the  Gospels  that  we  may  begin  with  our 
Lord's  life  ;  we  recognise  that  a  true  instinct  placed  the 
General  before  the  Pauline  Epistles  in  most  of  the  ancient 


BOOKS  TO  BE   READ.  219 

texts  ;  and  after  studying  through  them  the  Gospel  preached 
to  the  Jews,  we  turn  next  term  to  Gentile  Christianity  as 
shown  in  the  life  and  writings  of  S.  Paul,  and  to  the 
consummation  of  the  Divine  revelation  through  S.  John. 

The  Gospels.  In  Acts  we  see  that  the  Apostles  pro- 
claimed not  a  code  of  morality,  nor  a  philosophical  theory, 
nor  a  body  of  abstract  doctrine,  but  a  series  of  facts  to 
which  they  had  been  eye-witnesses,  and  for  the  reality  of 
which  they  not  only  hazarded  but  laid  down  their  lives,  as 
the  present  sense  of  "martyr,"  which  originally  meant 
simply  "witness"  (see  Rev.  ii.  13,  R.V.  and  A.V.)  proves. 
The  plain  recital  of  the  story  of  Christ's  life  was  their 
"gospel."  Passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  diligently 
rehearsed  to  their  converts  (Luke  i.  4,  R.V.  margin  ;  2  Thess. 
ii.  15),  it  lived  on,  not  in  writing,  but  in  their  memories. 
"  Commit  nothing  to  writing  "  had  been  a  favourite  Rabbinic 
precept,  and  as  yet  they  shrank  from  placing  it  in  the 
hands  of  unbelievers. 

It  soon  acquired  a  settled  form  throughout  the  Church. 
Twenty  years  after  the  Crucifixion,  i.e.,  in  A.D.  51,  the  form 
in  which  S.  Paul  taught  it  in  Asia  Minor  was  found  to  agree 
absolutely  with  the  form  in  which  it  was  taught  in  Jerusalem, 
as  he  tells  us  in  an  epistle  whose  date  and  authenticity 
none  dispute  (Gal.  ii.  1-10).  Of  the  countless  acts  and 
words  of  Christ  (John  xxi.  25)  His  apostles  selected  the 
most  significant,  and  the  general  plan  of  their  narrative 
was  always  the  same  ;  the  same  stories  were  related  in  the 
same  way ;  and  often,  especially  in  recounting  Christ's 
discourses,  the  same  words  were  used.  They  dwelt  chiefly 
upon  the  incidents  of  the  Passion,  and  all  was  arranged 
with  a  view  of  being  committed  to  memory. 

Within  30  years  of  Christ's  death,  ere  the  living  witnesses 
to  the  facts  had  passed  away,  and  therefore  ere  there  was 
any  possibility  of  legendary  embellishments  to  the  story, 
various  attempts  were  made  to  write  it  down  in  prepara- 
tion for  a  new  age  and  a  fresh  generation  of  Christians 
(Luke  i.  1).  Three  transcripts  (produced  probably  between 
A.D.  55  and  A.D.  65)  of  the  original  oral  Gospel  have 
survived,  and  the  fact  that  all  others  have  passed  away 
utterly  proves  that  these,  S.  Matthew,  S.  Mark,  and  S. 
Luke,  were  its  authorised  and  universally  accepted  record. 


220  EIGHTH  TERM. 

They  were  three  because  the  life  of  Christ  was  too  complex 
for  a  single,  history,  and  Christian  truth  too  wide  to  be 
given  in  any  one  set  of  formulas.  All  heresy  springs  from 
inordinate  desire  to  define,  distinguish,  and  isolate  its 
manifold  elements  ;  all  error  is  but  the  exaggeration  of 
some  truth  taken  out  of  its  relation  to  other  truths.  So 
various  early  heretics  took  one  Gospel  only,  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  the  others,  and  perverted  its  characteristic  teaching. 
Thus,  then,  "the  pattern  of  sound  words"  (2  Tim.  i.  13) 
which  the  Apostles,  directly  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
according  to  Christ's  promise  (John  xiv.  26  ;  Mark  xiii.  11), 
had  shaped,  was  condensed  in  the  Apostles'  Creed,  and 
expanded  in  the  Synoptical  Gospels.  The  Gospels  were 
the  result,  not  the  foundation,  of  the  Apostles'  teaching 
and  their  common  oral  basis  (as  I  have  already  indicated 
in  describing  it)  accounts  for  all  their  peculiarities.  They 
agree  less  than  if  they  had  been  written  in  direct  relation 
to  each  other,  and  more  than  if  they  had  been  quite  inde- 
pendent narratives  by  three  different  men.  We  accept 
them,  not  on  the  bare  assertion  that  their  individual  authors 
were  inspired,  but  on  the  proved  fact  that  they  represent 
the  experience  of  the  whole  Christian  Society  that  had 
known  Christ  in  the  flesh,  and  received  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
guide  them  into  all  truth  (John  xvi.  13).  No  history  ever 
had  such  an  authentication,  and  alongside  the  written 
record  the  unbroken  chain  of  living  witnesses  to  its  truth 
has  continued,  as  we  shall  see  next  term.  For  fuller 
exposition  of  the  now  generally  accepted  hypothesis  of  an 
original  oral  Gospel,  see  Archbishop  Thomson's  article  in 
Smith's  "  Dictionary  of  the  Bible." 

Finally,  together  with  this  corporate  testimony  of  the 
whole  Church,  we  have  the  individual  testimony  of  the 
disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  and  who  was  gifted  with  the 
deepest  intuition  into  Divine  truth.  He  evidently  wrote 
with  the  Synoptical  Gospels  before  him,  designedly  sup- 
plementing them.  The  evidence  for  the  historical  accuracy 
of  the  Gospels  is  well  summed  up  in  Dr.  Wace's  "  Authen- 
ticity of  the  Gospels  "  (Religious  Tract  Society,  4^.). 

That  S.  Matthew,  in  its  first  Aramaic  form,  of  which 
only  the  record  survives,  may  have  been  the  earliest 
Gospel  ;  that  S.  Mark  was  probably  written  after  the  allu- 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  221 

sion  to  its  author  in  Col.  iv.  10,  A.D.  65  ;  that  S.  Luke's 
Gospel  shortly  preceded  his  Acts,  whose  history  is  doubtless 
brought  down  to  the  time  of  writing  it,  i.e.,  to  63  ;  and  that 
S.  John's  Gospel  was  written  at  the  very  close  of  the  first 
century,  are  the  most  definite  statements  we  can  safely 
make  as  to  their  dates. 

The  following  summary  of  the  peculiarities  of  each  as 
contrasted  with  the  others  should  be  worked  out  fully  : — 

S.  Matthew,  the  earliest  Gospel,  was  written  in  Judaea 
for  the  Jews,  by  one  of  the  Twelve.  It  is  £  narrative,  and 
is  notable  for  its  many  Old  Testament  quotations,  and  for 
dwelling  on  the  discourses  of  Jesus,  whom  it  presents  to  us 
as  the  Messiah  and  Son  of  David,  and  as  the  King  coming 
to  restore  Israel's  monarchy,  the  Priest  fulfilling  all  the 
Old  Testament  types,  and  the  Prophet  teaching  a  new  law 
of  life  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  It  shows  us  Chris- 
tianity as  the  end  and  perfection  of  Judaism,  as  a  royal 
law  of  freedom  ;  and  looking  at  the  Past  in  a  didactic 
way,  relies  on  the  power  of  Tradition  and  Precedent,  and 
expounds  the  relation  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament 
to  each  other.  Its  keynote  is  Come  to  fulfil,  Matt.  v.  17 
(cp.  Isa.  xxxiii.  22,  and  Rom.  i.  3),  and  James,  Jude,  and 
Hebrews  are  its  best  commentary.  "  Son  of  David  "  occurs 
seven  times  here  and  only  thrice  in  S.  Mark  and  S.  Luke. 
"  That  it  might  be  fulfilled  "  occurs  eight  times  here  and  not 
in  S.  Mark  or  S.  Luke.  "  Your  heavenly  Father  "  occurs 
1 5  times,  only  twice  in  S.  Mark,  and  only  once  in  S.  Luke. 

S.  Mark,  the  shortest  Gospel,  was  written  in  Rome  (?) 
for  the  Romans,  by  the  cousin  of  S.  Barnabas,  who  may  or 
may  not  have  been  an  eye-witness  of  what  he  relates,  but 
who  wrote  under  the  direction  of  S.  Peter.  It  is  ^  narra- 
tive, and  is  notable  for  its  vivid  and  forcible  style  and 
graphic  details,  and  for  dwelling  on  the  deeds  of  Jesus, 
whom  it  presents  to  us  as  the  Servant  of  God  and  Minister 
of  mercy  to  the  world,  and  as  the  King  ruling  nature  and 
man.  It  shows  us  Christianity  as  a  great  social  force 
moulding  men's  outer  lives  anew ;  and  looking  at  the 
Present  in  a  practical  way,  relies  on  the  power  of  Active 
Energy,  and  expounds  Christian  Practice,  emphasizing 
works  as  the  outcome  of  faith.  Its  keynote  is  Come  to 
minister,  Mark  x.  45  (cp.   Isa.   xlii.   1-4  and  Acts  x.  38), 


222  EIGHTH  TERM. 

and  S.  Peter's  Epistles  are  its  best  commentary.  Several 
Latin  words  occur  here  and  not  elsewhere,  and  it  has  most 
in  common  with  the  other  Gospels. 

5.  Luke,  the  longest  Gospel,  was  written  in  Greece  (?)  for 
the  Greeks,  by  a  Gentile  physician  and  medical  missionary, 
who  had  not  been  an  eye-witness  of  what  he  relates,  but 
who  wrote  under  the  direction  of  S.  Paul.  It  is  J  narrative, 
and  is  notable  for  its  pathos  and  literary  beauty,  and  for 
dwelling  on  the  conversations  of  Jesus,  whom  it  presents 
to  us  as  the  Son  of  Man  and  Saviour  of  sinners,  and  as  the 
Priest  offering  Himself  in  sacrifice.  It  shows  us  Chris- 
tianity as  a  new  creation  of  the  inner  lives  of  men  ;  and 
looking  at  the  Future  in  a  human  and  historical  way,  relies 
on  the  power  of  Thought,  and  expounds  a  doctrine 
concerning  Man,  emphasizing  faith  as  the  source  of  works. 
Its  keynote  is  Come  to  save,  Luke  xix.  10  (cp.  Isa.  ix.  6, 
Rom.  viii.  3),  and  S.  Paul's  Epistles  are  its  best  commentary. 
"  Grace,"  which  occurs  but  three  times  in  John,  and  never 
in  Mark  or  Matthew,  occurs  often  in  Luke  as  in  S.  Paul's 
writings. 

vS.  John,  the  latest  Gospel,  was  written  in  Asia  Minor  for 
the  whole  Church,  by  one  of  the  three  chosen  Apostles, 
who  was  Christ's  first  cousin  and  His  nearest  and  dearest 
follower.  It  is  J  narrative,  and  is  notable  for  its  profound 
spiritual  teaching  and  symmetrical  structure,  and  for 
dwelling  on  the  progressive  manifestation  of  Jesus  and 
on  the  growing  unbelief  of  the  Jews  contrasted  with  the 
growing  faith  of  the  disciples.  It  presents  Him  to  us  as 
the  Son  of  God  and  Incarnate  Word,  and  as  the  Prophet 
revealing  highest  truths.  It  shows  us  Christianity  in  its 
infinite  relations  ;  and  looking  at  Eternity  in  a  philosophical 
and  poetical  way,  relies  on  the  supreme  power  of  Love, 
and  expounds  a  doctrine  concerning  God.  Its  keynote  is 
Come  in  My  Father's  Name,  John  v.  43  (cp.  Isa.  liv.  13, 
1  John  v.  20),  and  S.  John's  Epistles  and  Apocalypse  are 
its  best  commentary.  It  has  least  in  common  with  the 
other  Gospels,  not  using  many  of  their  most  familiar  words, 
and  using  at  least  65  words  not  found  in  them.  It  is 
at  once  the  simplest  in  manner  and  the  most  difficult  in 
matter  of  all.  For  the  Harmony  of  the  Gospels,  and  the 
exact  order  in  which  they  should  be  read,  see  p.  244. 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  223 

Acts,  probably  written  at  Rome,  forms  S.  Luke's  sequel 
to  his  Gospel,  and  both  are  addressed  to  the  same  official 
of  high  rank.  Its  record,  like  that  of  the  Gospels,  covers  a 
period  of  about  34  years.  "  Acts,"  not  "  The  Acts,"  is  the 
literal  rendering  of  its  title,  for  it  is  not  a  history  of  the 
Twelve  (eight  of  whom  it  names  in  Acts  i.  13  only),  but 
of  the  organisation  of  the  Church  and  of  the  progress  of 
Christian  truth  among  representative  men  of  very  different 
types.  It  may  be  regarded  as  "  the  Gospel  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  as  the  first  Church  History  and  the  first  Missionary 
Report.  Acts  i. — xiv.  has  for  its  keynote  Witnesses  to 
Christ's  Resurrection  (Acts  i.  8  ;  cp.  Luke  xxiv.  47,  48). 

The  Epistles.  The  life  of  Christ  comes  to  us  through 
four  writers,  the  doctrine  concerning  Christ  through  six, 
viz.,  two  (Peter  and  John)  who  believed  on  Him  when  He 
was  on  earth  (John  vi.  67-9)  ;  two  (James  and  Jude)  who, 
though  near  Him  throughout  His  earthly  life,  did  not 
believe  till  He  rose  from  the  dead  (John  vii.  5  ;  1  Cor.  xv. 
7  ;  Acts  i.  14) ;  and  two  (Paul  and  the  author  of  Hebrews) 
who  probably  never  knew  Him  on  earth,  but  believed  on 
Him  ascended  to  Heaven,  even  as  we  may  believe,  though 
we  have  not  had  a  miraculous  vision  or  the  spoken  testimony 
of  His  companions  (Acts  ix.  5  ;  Heb.  ii.  3).  This  multiplied 
witness  shows  us :  (a)  That  Divine  Truth  cannot  be 
summed  up  in  any  one  man's  apprehension  of  it,  however 
deeply  he  be  taught  of  God.  (h)  That  there  was  nothing 
mechanical  in  the  inspiration  under  which  the  New  Testa- 
ment was  written.  We  receive  it,  as  we  receive  the  Old 
Testament,  in  portions  tinged  with  the  individuality  of 
different  human  minds,  that  it  may  be  perfectly  adapted  to 
our  complex  nature,  (c)  That  there  may  be  real  unity 
without  absolute  uniformity.  The  churches  in  Jerusalem, 
Asia  Minor,  Alexandria,  and  Europe  each  had  their 
characteristic  differences  (not  disagreements)  according 
to  the  different  types  of  teaching  which  they  received  from 
their  founders,  in  whose  writings  these  differences  are 
reflected. 

The  General  or  Catholic  Epistles  differ  from  others  in 
not  being  addressed  to  particular  churches  or  individuals. 
James  and  1  Peter  address  the  Dispersion,  Jude  and 
2  Peter  address  all  Christians  (but  2  Peter  iii.  1  may  imply 


224  EIGHTH  TERM. 

that  both  S.  Peter's  Epistles  address  the  Dispersion). 
Hebrews  probably  addresses  all  Jewish  Christians,  and 
is  practically  though  not  in  name  a  General  Epistle. 
The  whole  group  has  for  its  theme  the  Risen  and  Ascended 
Christ,  is  deeply  influenced  by  the  Old  Testament,  and 
alludes  often  to  later  apocryphal  books  and  various  Jewish 
traditions.  It  represents  Judaic  Christianity.  The  strong 
likeness  between  the  pictures  of  declension  in  S.  Paul's 
Pastoral  Epistles  and  those  in  I  and  2  Peter  and  Jude 
indicate  that  they  were  written  at  the  same  time.  S.  James 
was  martyred  in  62,  and  S.  Peter  (together  with  S.  Paul)  in 
6y.  Both  wrote  soon  before  they  died,  and  S.  Jude's  Epistle 
must  have  been  written  shortly  before  2  Peter.  Hebrews 
must  have  appeared  before  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem,  but  cannot 
have  been  written  long  before.  This  is  all  we  can  affirm 
as  to  their  dates,  so  no  years  are  here  mentioned  lest  dates 
should  give  an  erroneous  impression  of  exact  information. 
Students  are  strongly  recommended  not  only  to  study  each 
Epistle  in  detail,  but  to  read  it  through  at  a  sitting  as 
they  would  read  a  friend's  letter. 

James  and  Jude  were  the  Lord's  brethren  (Mark  vi.  3). 
Some  identify  them  with  His  apostles  and  first  cousins,  the 
sons  of  Alphaeus.  In  that  case  we  should  not  be  told  within 
six  months  of  His  death,  and  just  after  the  apostolic  con- 
fession of  faith,  that  His  brethren  did  not  believe  in  Him 
(John  vi.  69,  vii.  5  ;  see  also  Jude  17).  Nor  is  there  any 
other  instance  of  cousins  being  called  "brethren."  Some 
rashly  assume  that  they  were  younger  children  of  our 
Lord's  Mother.  In  that  case  they  would  not  have  asserted 
the  authority  over  Christ  which  they  did  assert  on  more 
than  one  occasion,  nor  would  He  then  have  commended  her 
to  S.  John's  care.  In  all  probability  they  were  the  sons  of 
Joseph  by  a  former  marriage.  S.  James,  after  the  Twelve 
had  dispersed  far  and  wide  according  to  Christ's  command 
(Mark  xvi.  15)  for  missionary  work,  presided  over  the 
Church  in  Jerusalem,  having  the  position,  if  not  actually 
the  title,  of  its  Bishop  (Acts  xii.  17,  xv.,  xxi.  18  ;  Gal. 
i.,  ii.).  At  the  hands  of  the  Sadducean  party  whom  his 
Epistle  so  pointedly  rebukes,  he  was  martyred,  boldly 
witnessing  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ.  To  this  death,  which 
filled  up  the  cup  of  Jerusalem's  iniquity,  there  may  be  an 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  225 

allusion  in  Heb.  xiii.  7,  and  his  pwn  words  (James  v.  6)  are 
prophetic  of  it.  We  know  nothing  certain  about  S.  Jude's 
life,  labours,  and  death,  and  history  mentions  S.  Peter  for 
the  last  time  in  Acts  xv.  Concerning  his  latter  years,  be- 
sides his  Epistles  and  I  Cor.  ix.  5  and  Gal.  ii.,  there  are 
only  uncertified  traditions  and  legends  that  cannot  be  true. 
The  Epistle  of  5.  James  is  addressed  to  Jews,  many  of 
whom  were  Christians,  while  the  other  four  Epistles  are  ad- 
dressed to  Christians,  many  of  whom  were  Jews.  It  contains 
more  allusions  to  Christ's  discourses  than  all  the  other 
Epistles  put  together,  but  fewer  allusions  to  Christian 
doctrine,  which  it  assumes  rather  than  expounds.  There  is 
little  in  it  which  a  pious  and  enlightened  Jew  could  not 
accept,  and  to  its  author  Christians  are  but  ideal  Jews. 
He  has  not  only  the  new  light  of  the  Christian  teacher,  but 
the  fervour,  sternness,  and  pointed  brevity  of  the  Hebrew 
prophet.  Through  him  Jerusalem  received  her  last  warning 
from  God.  His  keynote  is  CJifistian  faitJifulness  must 
express  itself  in  the  energy  of  loving  service.  "  Temptation," 
"Riches,"  "Patience,"  "Wisdom"  are  its  recurring  thoughts, 
and  "  the  worthlessness,  religiously  speaking,  of  unfruitful 
knowledge  is  its  theme  "  {Liddon). 

1  Peter  bears  throughout  the  traces  of  familiarity  with  the 
acts  and  words  of  Christ,  and  many  minute  similarities 
between  S.  Peter's  sermons  in  Acts  and  his  Epistles  prove  the 
genuineness  of  both.  The  many  points  in  which  they  echo 
the  utterances  both  of  S.  James  and  of  S.  Paul  (2  Peter 
iii.  15,  16)  show  us  that  the  teachings  of  those  two  great 
leaders,  though  in  apparent  opposition,  are  really  in 
harmony.  S.  Peter  reconciles  them,  standing  as  he  does 
doctrinally  just  between  them.  Its  keynote  is  Endure, 
submit,  for  ye  are  the  heirs  of  salvation.  "  Resignation  " 
and  "  Hope  "  are  its  recurring  thoughts. 

The  picturesque  Epistle  of  5.  fude  is  like  a  rough  sketch  of 
S.  Peter's  second  Epistle  ;  indeed,  their  likeness  is  too  close 
to  be  accidental.  It  is  remarkable  for  its  threefold  arrange- 
ment throughout.  We  note  1 1  triplets  of  word  and  idea. 
Its  keynote  is  Contend  for  the  Faith. 

2  Peter  alternates  between  passionate  warning  and 
earnest  exhortation,  and  has  more  unity  and  coherence 
than   1   Peter.     Its  keynote  is  Stand  fast  in  the  Faith. 

*5 


226  EIGHTH  TERM. 

Of  the  canonicity,  importance,  and  authority  of  Hebrews 
there  is  no  doubt,  but  there  is  great  doubt  as  to  its  author. 
It  is  the  one  absolutely  anonymous  Epistle,  and  we  do  not 
know  exactly  whence  or  whither  it  was  sent.  Early  testi- 
monies of  the  Eastern  Church  are  vague  and  conflicting ; 
in  the  Western  Church  it  was  attributed  to  S.  Paul  for  the 
first  time  300  years  after  it  was  written.  Loose  conjecture 
has  always  favoured  his  authorship,  but  scholarly  criticism 
is  generally  against  it.  Many  differences  of  literary  style 
between  it  and  S.  Paul's  writings  are  pointed  out.  They 
are  evident  to  some  extent  in  the  English,  but  far  more 
in  the  Greek.  It  teaches  the  same  truths  as  S.  Paul,  but 
from  quite  a  different  point  of  view ;  and  it  is  scarcely 
possible  that  Gal.  i.  n,  12  and  Heb.  ii.  3  could  have  been 
penned  by  the  same  hand,  as  one  asserts  and  the  other 
disclaims  for  the  writer  the  position  of  an  apostle  taught  by 
Christ  Himself.  Luther's  guess  that  it  waswritten  by  Apollos 
has  been  adopted  by  Alford,  Plumptre,  and  other  eminent 
modern  scholars.  For  this  there  is  no  positive  evidence, 
but  we  cannot  name  any  other  New  Testament  Christian 
who  is  so  likely  to  have  written  it.  Without  presuming  to 
dogmatise  where  great  authorities  disagree,  I  separate  it 
from  S.  Paul's  Epistles  that  we  may  fitly  conclude  our  study 
of  Judaic  Christianity  by  learning  why  Judaism  "vanished 
away  "  when  it  had  produced  something  higher  than  itself. 

Hebrews  deals  with  the  relation  of  Judaism  as  a  system 
of  worship  to  Christianity.  Its  stately  rhetoric  is  the 
finest  Greek  in  the  New  Testament.  Its  keynote  is  Christ 
our  High  Priest,  and  its  recurring  thoughts,  "  A  better 
covenant,"  "  By  how  much  more,"  "  Living,"  "  Eternal," 
"  Perfect,"  "  Draw  near,"  "  Consider,"  "  Hold  fast." 

For  all  these  Epistles  see  Archdeacon  Farrar's  "  Early 
Days  of  Christianity  "  (Cassell,  6s.). 

III.  Periods  and  Dates. 

This  term  we  overstep  the  57  years  marked  out  for  it  in 
order  to  close  our  epoch  with  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem,  A.D. 
70.  Next  term  we  retrace  our  steps  in  order  to  take  the 
story  of  Gentile  Christianity  as  a  whole.  Our  chronology 
is  only  approximately  accurate,  the  dates  given  by  different 
authorities  for  the  Conference  varying  from  47  to  52  ;  but 


PERIODS  AND  DATES.  227 

it  cannot  be  far  wrong.  For  clear  understanding  of  our 
story,  we  must  note  the  dates  of  the  Roman  Emperors  and 
of  the  rulers  of  Palestine. 

(1)  B.C.  6 — A.D.  26  (32  years).     From  Gabriel's  message 

to  Zacharias  to  the  Divine  anointing  of  our  Lord  for 
His  life.  The  Coming  of  the  Messiah.  Matt,  i.,  ii. ; 
Luke  i.,  ii.,  iii.  23-38  ;  John  i.  1-18. 

(2)  A.D.  26 — 30  (3^  years).     From  the  Divine  anointing 

for  His  life  to  the  human  anointing  for  His  death. 
The  Ministry  of  the  Messiah.  Matt,  iii.— xx. ;  Mark 
i. — x. ;  Luke  iii.  1-22,  iv. — xix.  28 ;  John  i.  19 — xi. 

(3)  A.D.  30,  March  31 — May   17   (48  days).     From   the 

human  anointing  for   His  death  to  the  Ascension. 
The  Death  and  Resurrection  of  the  Messiah.     Matt, 
x&i. — xxviii. ;   Mark   xi. — xvi. ;    Luke  xix.   29 — xxiv. ; 
John  xii. — xxi. ;  Acts  i.  1-12. 
(See  p.  251  for  the  details  of  all  these  periods.) 

(4)  A.D.  30 — 35  (5  years).     From  the  Ascension  to  the 

appointment  of  deacons.  The  Hebrew  Church. 
Acts  i.  13 — v. 

(5)  A.D.  35 — 40  (5  years).  From  the  appointment  of 
deacons  to  the  conversion  of  Cornelius.  The  Hellenis- 
tic Church.     Acts  vi. — ix.  31. 

(6)  A.D.  40 — 45  (5  years).  From  the  conversion  of  Cornelius 

to  the  Mission  from  Antioch.  The  Founding  of  the 
Gentile  Church.  Acts.  ix.  32 — xii.,  James,  1  Peter, 
Jude,  2  Peter,  Hebrews.  (Two  or  three  years  pro- 
bably separate  Acts  v.  42  from  Acts  vi.  1  ;  and 
Acts  ix.  31  from  Acts  ix.  32,  and  a  period  of  one  or 
two  years  separates  Acts  xi.  26  from  Acts  xi.  27.) 

(7)  A.D.    45 — 51    (6   years).      From    the    Mission    from 

Antioch  to  the  Conference  at  Jerusalem.  vS.  Paul's 
First  f  ourney .      Acts  xiii.,  xiv. 

Twelve  Emperors  of  Rome. 

Augustus  B.C.  12 — A.D.  14.  Otho  69  (3  months). 

Tiberius  A.D.  12—37.  Vitellius  69  (1  month), 

Caligula  37 — 41.  Vespasian  69 — 79. 

Claudius  41 — 54.  Titus  79 — 81. 

Nero  54—68.  Domitian  81 — 96. 

Galba  68 — 69.  Nerva  96 — 98. 


228  EIGHTH  TERM. 

Rulers  of  Pa7~stine. 

(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  xxii.) 

Herod,  King  of  Judaea,  etc.,  B.C.  37 — 4. 

Archelaus,  Ethnarch  of  Judaea,  B.C.  4 — A.D.  6. 

Herod  Antipas,  Tetrarch  of  Peraea  and  Galilee,  B.C.  4 — 

A.D.  39. 
Herod  Philip,  Tetrarch  of  Ituraea  and  Trachonitis,  B.C.  4 

—A.D.  33. 

Five  Roman  Procurators  of  Judaea,  A.D.  6 — 26. 

Pontius  Pilate,  Procurator,  26 — 36. 

Four  Roman  Procurators,  38 — 51. 

Antonius  Felix,  Procurator,  51 — 60. 

Porcius  Festus,  Procurator,  60 — 62. 

Albinus,  Procurator,  62 — 64. 

Gessius  Florus,  14th  and  last  Procurator,  64 — 70. 

Agrippa  I.,  King  of  Judaea  and  Samaria,  41 — 44. 
Herod,  King  of  Chalcis,  41 — 48. 
Agrippa  II.,  King  of  Chalcis,  49 — 70. 

IV.    Geography. 
(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  Maps  IX.,  X.,  XI.) 

Not  only  did  Christ  begin  His  ministry  on  Jordan's 
banks,  close  to  the  spot  where  Israel  entered  Canaan  under 
Joshua :  He  had  previously  gone  down  from  Palestine  into 
Egypt,  and  had  been  brought  up  thence  by  Divine  command. 
If  we  may  believe  that  the  evidences  for  the  Sinaitic 
Peninsula  outweigh  those  for  the  traditional  idea  that 
Quarantania  in  Judaea  was  the  scene  of  His  Temptation, 
we  see  further  that  He  had  passed  through  40  days  of  trial 
where  Israel  had  been  tried  for  40  years.  Farther  west 
and  farther  south  He  had  not  been.  He  also  went  as  far 
north  as  Phoenicia,  as  far  east  as  Peraea.  But  His  life  as  a 
whole  was  spent  in  a  space  represented  by  one  or  two 
English  counties. 

At  His  birth,  Herod  ruled  all  that  had  been  divided 
among  the  Twelve  Tribes  and  Idumea  also,  a  larger  kingdom 


GEOGRAPHY.  229 

in  all  than  David's.  During  His  ministry,  Samaria  and 
Judaea  formed  the  Roman  province  of  Judaea  under  a 
procurator,  while  Galilee  (once  the  portion  of  Asher, 
Naphtali,  Zebulun,  and  Issachar)  and  Peraea  (once  the 
portion  of  Reuben  and  Gad)  were  ruled  by  Antipas.  What 
had  once  been  Manasseh's  eastern  portion  was  under  the 
sway  of  Philip  (Luke  iii.  1). 

Six  hundred  years  of  Gentile  domination  had  left  many 
traces  in  new  half-heathen  cities  with  foreign  names.  The 
most  famous  New  Testament  names,  such  as  Caesarea  (the 
Roman  capital  of  Judaea),  Capernaum  (the  Roman  capital 
of  Galilee),  Tiberias,  Julias,  Caesarea  Philippi,  Bethsaida, 
Cana,  Chorazin,  Nazareth,  Gadara,  Emmaus,  and  Bethany, 
are  not  mentioned  at  all  in  the  Old  Testament. 

Reserving  the  geographical  extension  of  the  Church  to 
be  dealt  with  from  the  beginning  next  term,  we  now  note 
the  places  most  hallowed  by  the  Lord's  presence — viz., 
Bethlehem,  His  birthplace ;  Nazareth,  His  own  city  in 
youth  ;  Capernaum,  His  own  city  in  manhood  (Matt.  ix.  1)  ; 
Bethsaida  and  Cana,  each  the  home  of  five  of  the  twelve 
Apostles  ;  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  "  the  most  sacred  sheet  of 
water  which  this  earth  contains  "  {Stanley),  as  significant 
of  His  teaching  as  the  stern  desert  was  of  the  Baptist's 
teaching ;  Bethany,  His  favourite  retreat  in  Judaea  ;  and 
Jerusalem,  where  His  work  was  completed. 

The  ancient  town  of  Bethlehem  lies  on  the  ridge  of  a 
long  grey  hill,  only  300  feet  lower  than  the  top  of  Helvellyn, 
six  miles  to  the  south  of  Jerusalem.  Bethany  nestles  on 
the  eastern  slope  of  Olivet,  on  the  road  to  Jericho,  one  mile 
and  three-quarters  from  Jerusalem  (John  xi.  18). 

But  though  Christ  began  His  public  ministry  in  Judaea, 
and  was  born  and  died  there,  He  began  to  proclaim  His 
gospel  in  Galilee,  which  remained  throughout  the  chief 
scene  of  His  work.  Its  soil  was  the  most  fertile  and  its 
climate  the  finest  in  Palestine.  Well-wooded,  it  yielded 
wine  and  wheat  and  olive  oil  abundantly.  Its  240  towns 
and  villages  filled  it  with  the  hum  of  many-coloured  life. 
Since  the  Captivity,  it  had  been  largely  peopled  by  heathen, 
and  was  looked  down  upon  therefore  by  the  southern  Jews 
(Matt.  iv.  15).  Many  Syrians,  Phoenicians,  Arabs,  and 
Greeks  had  settled  there  in  Christ's  day,  but  its  Hebrew 


230  EIGHTH  TERM. 

inhabitants,  though  less  bigoted  and  narrow  than  the 
Judaeans,  were  most  faithful  to  the  Law,  and  had  more  of 
its  life  if  less  of  its  form.  Their  mountain  air  made  them 
patriots  and  heroes.  Again  and  again  they  were  the  first 
to  defy  the  Roman  arms,  and  they  were  the  last  to  defend 
the  ruins  of  Jerusalem.  "  The  Galilean  loves  honour,  the 
Jew  loves  money,"  says  the  Talmud.  The  beautiful  Lake, 
named  Chinnereth,  Gennesaret,  or  Tiberias,  \2\  miles  long 
by  nearly  7  miles  wide  at  its  widest  (i.e.,  about  the  length 
of  Loch  Maree,  but  wider),  was  called  "  the  Eye  of  Galilee." 
Deserted  now,  its  bright  waves  were  then  thronged  not 
only  with  fishing  boats,  but  with  Roman  war  vessels,  and 
gilded  pinnaces  from  Herod's  palace.  They  are  fringed 
with  gay  oleanders  and  set  in  smiling  pastures  ;  their  shore 
line  is  broken  into  exquisite  little  bays,  and  the  hills  slope 
up  gently  from  the  water.  The  Rabbis  expressed  their 
enthusiasm  for  its  beauty  in  a  proverb  which  had  a  deeper 
meaning  than  they  knew,  "  God  has  created  seven  seas  in 
the  land  of  Canaan,  but  one  only — the  Sea  of  Galilee — has 
He  chosen  for  Himself."  On  its  shores,  which  Josephus 
calls  "  the  crown  of  Palestine,"  and  on  the  much-frequented 
high  road  from  Damascus  to  Ptolemais  (Isa.  ix.  1),  lay  the 
thriving  and  busy  little  town  of  Capernaum,  whose  inhabit- 
ants had  no  leisure  for  the  teaching  of  Christ  (Matt.  xi.  23). 
It  is  now  too  utterly  destroyed  for  its  site  to  be  certainly 
determined. 

Nazareth  is  a  secluded  mountain  village  1200  feet  above 
the  sea,  in  an  amphitheatre  of  hills,  overlooking  one  of  the 
little  folds  of  the  great  plain  seen  as  the  hills  open.  The 
comely  women  and  bright-eyed  children  who  still  gather 
about  its  clear  and  abundant  fountain  attest  its  pure  air  ; 
while  the  traces  of  terrace  cultivation  on  its  hills,  and  the 
many  cemeteries,  show  how  large  its  population  once  was. 
Amid  the  peaceful  loveliness  of  its  myriad  flowers  and 
gardens  of  fig  and  orange  and  olive  and  cypress,  Jesus 
passed  His  youth  of  humble  obedience  and  patient  ob- 
scurity, and  even  as  the  Risen  Lord  who  claimed  Paul's 
allegiance  called  Himself  by  its  name  (Acts  xxii.  8).  In 
Mohammedan  lands  His  followers  are  still  known  as 
Nazarenes. 


HEROES.  231 


V.  Heroes. 

C  The  Lord  Jesus,  1  Peter  ii.  21. 
I  John  the  Baptist,  Ezek.  ii.  4,  5. 
Keynotes]  ^S.  Peter,  Psalm  li.  12,  13. 
5.  Stephen,  Rev.  xii.  II. 
S.James,  Psalm  i.  1,  2. 

The  instinct  of  hero-worship  is  an  universal  and  ennobling 
one,  and  we  have  throughout  recognised  it  by  dwelling  on 
the  best  and  greatest  men  in  Bible  history.  New  Testament 
writers  tell  us  little  of  the  earliest  Christian  heroes  and 
saints.  For  them  the  transcendant  personality  of  the  Lord 
Tesus  completely  filled  eye  and  thought  and  heart.  In 
Him  we  recognise  the  Almighty  Creator  of  the  world  who 
deigned  to  be  its  Almighty  Redeemer.  The  Word  was 
God,  and  the  Word  became  flesh  (John  i.  1,  14).  We 
receive  with  adoring  faith  the  crowning  mystery  of  the 
Incarnation,  anticipated  dimly  in  the  Old  Testament  and 
clearly  recorded  in  the  New  Testament,  as  the  one  possible 
explanation  of  Christianity  and  the  one  solution  of  all  the 
problems  concerning  man's  relation  to  God.  Strong  and 
terrible  as  is  the  power  of  evil  over  human  hearts,  we  dare 
to  cherish  the  highest  hopes  for  ourselves  and  for  our 
fellow-men,  because  on  this  earth  not  only  has  a  death  of 
infinitely  meritorious  self-sacrifice  been  died,  but  one  perfect 
human  life  has  been  lived,  and  the  ideal  of  humanity  has 
in  Christ  become  real.  "  We  cannot  conceive  what  is 
implied  in  a  nature  of  which  omnipotence,  omnipresence, 
and  omniscience  are  attributes,  far  less  present  them 
adequately  in  words  as  united  with  human  weakness  and 
local  limitation  "  {Geikie).  As  the  uncreated  and  eternal 
Son  "of  the  Substance  of  the  Father,"  He  is  for  ever  in- 
comprehensible. But  since  He  lived  on  earth  to  be  our 
Example,  we  may  gaze  reverently  upon  Him  as  "  Man,  of 
the  Substance  of  His  mother,  born  in  the  world  "  {Athana- 
sian  Creed),  and  behold  in  Him  the  highest  perfection  of 
all  that  human  goodness  of  which  our  Heroes  hitherto 
have  been  noble  but  partial  types.  The  Son  of  Man, 
"  in  the  truth  of  our  nature  made  like  unto  us  in  all 
things  sin   only  except "  ("Article  XV.),  was  more  faith- 


232  EIGHTH  TERM. 

ful  than  Abraham  ;  more  blameless  than  Joseph  ;  more 
patient  than  Job  ;  more  heedless  of  self  than  Moses  ; 
zealous  with  a  purer  zeal  than  that  of  Phinehas  ;  more 
dauntless  than  Joshua  ;  more  disinterested  than  Gideon  ; 
more  devout  than  Samuel ;  more  desirous  to  fulfil  God's 
will  than  David  ;  wiser  than  Solomon  ;  more  earnest  in 
the  service  of  God  than  Elijah ;  more  earnest  in  the 
service  of  men  than  Elisha  ;  juster  in  judgment  than 
Jehoshaphat ;  a  greater  restorer  of  Divine  worship  than 
Jehoiada;  with  stronger  trust  in  God  than  Hezekiah,  and 
clearer  insight  into  the  things  of  God  than  Isaiah  ;  a  more 
single-hearted  reformer  than  Josiah  ;  a  more  unswerving 
preacher  of  unwelcome  truth  than  Jeremiah  ;  holier  than 
Daniel ;  a  greater  teacher  of  God's  law  than  Ezra  ;  more 
prayerful  than  Nehemiah  ;  and  the  builder  of  a  grander 
Temple  than  that  of  Zerubbabel.  Pre-eminently  meek 
and  lowly  in  heart  (Matt.  xi.  29),  He,  unlike  all  these  other 
saints,  never  hinted  at  a  personal  need  of  *epentance ;  He 
advanced  claims  of  absolute  sinlessness,  appealing  to  earth 
(John  viii.  46),  to  Hell  (John  xiv.  30),  and  to  Heaven 
(John  viii.  29)  in  support  of  them,  which,  in  any  other, 
would  be  the  very  delirium  of  religious  pride,  but  which 
are  a  greater  reason  for  regarding  Him  as  more  than 
human  than  any  of  the  wonders  He  wrought.  His  own 
character  was  more  miraculous  than  any  of  His  miracles. 
Men  acknowledged  Him  to  be  perfect  in  thought  (Heb. 
vii.  26),  word  (John  vii.  46  ;  Luke  iv.  22),  and  deed  (Mark 
vii.  37).  Not  only  was  every  thought  and  emotion  and 
desire  holy,  but  none  was  in  excess.  With  us  any  supreme 
pre-occupation  leaves  us  apathetic  to  other  things  :  Christ 
always  had  "a  heart  at  leisure  from  itself."  Hence  that 
absolute  unselfishness  and  ever  ready  sympathy,  which 
were  as  prominent  as  any  traits  could  be  in  such  a  perfectly 
balanced  and  altogether  harmonious  character.  Seven 
times  in  all,  once  of  a  blind  man,  of  a  leper,  of  a  childless 
widow,  thrice  of  the  multitude,  and  once  in  His  own 
parable  (Luke  x.),  we  read  that  "He  was  moved  with 
compassion."  Consider  how  much  you  have  accomplished 
in  the  last  3 J  years  of  your  own  life,  and  then  try  to 
realise  the  unity  of  purpose  and  intensity  of  effort  that 
made  Christ's    ministry  the   turning-point  of  the  world's 


HEROES.  233 

whole  history.  Two  other  characteristics  which  no  painter 
can  depict  must  have  struck  those  who  saw  Him  on  earth : 
insight,  before  which  all  the  self-satisfied  hypocrisies  of  a 
decadent  religion  shrank  back,  while  the  humble  penitent 
drew  near  ;  and  majesty,  which  tempered  intense  love  for 
Him  with  overwhelming  reverence.  "  Certainly  a  flame 
of  fire  and  starry  brightness  flashed  from  His  eyes 
(says  Jerome),  and  the  majesty  of  the  Godhead  shone  in 
His  face." 

But  we  may  not  try  to  sum  up  His  character  as  we  have 
summed  up  those  of  others.  The  inspired  singer  who 
prophesied  of  Him  checks  our  presumption,  and  reminds 
us  of  our  true  attitude  before  Him,  "  He  is  thy  Lord, 
worship  thou  Him"  (Psalm  xlv.  11);  and  we  bow  down 
uttering  the  words  of  that  most  ancient  Church  hymn, 
"  Thou  only  art  holy,  Thou  only  art  the  Lord,  O  Christ !  " 

But 

"  Though  He  is  so  bright  and  we  so  dim, 
We  are  made  in  His  image  to  witness  Him" 

{Robert  Browning), 

to  testify  that  He  is  no  mere  historical  character  in  the 
past,  but  our  living,  loving  Saviour  in  the  present,  who 
bids  the  sinful  come  to  find  pardon  ;  the  weak  come  to 
find  strength ;  the  perplexed  come  to  find  light ;  the 
sorrowful  come  to  find  joy ;  the  weary  come  to  find  rest ; 
the  tempest-tossed  come  to  find  peace  ;  the  hungry  and 
thirsty  come  to  find  satisfaction.  Coming  to  Him  in 
prayer,  we  may  be  as  truly  near  to  Him  as  were  those 
whom  He  succoured  and  taught  when  on  earth. 

We  can  add  nothing  to  Christ's  own  eulogy  of  His 
grandly  heroic  forerunner,  John  the  Baptist  (Matt.  xi.  9-1 1), 
save  the  comment  that  he  is  almost  the  only  great  man 
who  has  been  content  to  merge  his  own  glory  wholly  in 
that  of  another  (John  iii.  30).  To  utter  self-abnegation,  he 
added  that  unfaltering  steadfastness  which  enabled  him 
to  fulfil  his  course  (Acts  xiii.  25),  although  he  was  cut  off 
in  the  prime  of  manhood.  In  him  the  voice  of  prophecy 
spoke  again,  after  a  silence  of  four  centuries. 

Of  Christ's  first  twelve  followers  we  hear  much  collec- 
tively, and  note  their  growing  faith  culminating  in  S.  Peter's 
confession,  and  their  too  frequent  dulness  of  apprehension, 


234  EIGHTH  TERM. 

which  took  the  Master's  figurative  expressions  literally  and 
His  literal  expressions  metaphorically.  But  *S\  Peter  is  the 
only  one  of  whom  there  are  many  individual  incidents  in 
the  Gospels.  He  stands  out  as  the  first  (Matt.  x.  2)  in  this 
first  chapter  of  Christian  history.  His  special  work  was 
opening  the  gates  of  the  Church  at  Pentecost  to  the  Jews 
and  at  the  baptism  of  Cornelius  to  the  Gentiles  (Matt.  xvi. 
19).  His  priority  was  personal,  not  official  ;  for  afterwards 
it  is  S.  James  who  presides  over  the  Jewish  and  S.  Paul  who 
is  chiefest  Apostle  in  the  Gentile  Church.  "  Whatsoever 
thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might "  was  always 
S.  Peter's  motto,  says  Professor  Blunt ;  and  throughout  he 
is  the  same  zealous,  eager,  impulsive  disciple,  wavering  and 
falling,  yet  rising  to  a  higher  height.  He  shows  us  what  we 
too  often  are,  but  also  what  we  may  be  if  we  follow  Christ 
with  the  same  ardent  loyalty  and  deep  affection. 

Lastly,  let  us  name  6\  Stephen,  the  immediate  pre- 
decessor of  S.  Paul,  the  protomartyr  of  the  Church,  of 
whose  rare  intellectual  power  and  spiritual  fervour  we  get 
but  one  glimpse;  and  S.James,  the  Lord's  brother,  whom 
we  see  first  in  S.  John's  account  of  the  marriage  in  Cana, 
and  last  in  the  pages  of  Josephus  and  Hegesippus.  They 
describe  him  as  a  Nazarite  and  uncompromising  observer 
of  the  Mosaic  Law,  venerated  for  his  extraordinary  sanctity, 
and  called  the  Just,  and  the  Bulwark  of  the  People. 

VI.  The  Manifestation  of  the  Messiah. 

"  All  this  is  come  to  pass,  that  the  Scriptures  of  the 
prophets  might  be  fulfilled" — Matt.  xxvi.  56. 

Of  Christ,  who  is  Himself  in  heaven,  we  have  (as 
S.  Ambrose  beautifully  says)  not  only  the  image  in  the 
Gospel,  but  the  shadow  in  the  Law.  These  two,  with  the 
living  witness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the  Church,  form 
a  threefold  testimony  to  Him.  The  answer  to  Question 
XXXI.  on  p.  162,  surveyed  the  shadow  as  a  whole.  Its  parts 
we  have  traced  term  after  term  in  following  "  the  Hope  of 
the  Promise  which  God  made "  to  His  people.  We  have 
seen  how  from  the  day  Eve  welcomed  Cain  to  that  in  which 
their  aspirations  centred  in  Zerubbabel,  the  Messianic 
thought  colours  the  whole  Old  Testament  history,  and  in 


THE  MANIFESTATION  OF  THE  MESSIAH.        235 

the  subsequent  national  depression  they  threw  themselves 
more  and  more  on  the  future  till  the  hateful  reign  of  Herod 
stirred  their  desires  to  white  heat.  The  Herodians,  it  is 
true,  attenuated  the  Jewish  faith  in  a  coming  Deliverer 
into  a  vague  hope  of  general  progress  and  prosperity,  a? 
some  would  attenuate  the  Christian  faith  in  a  coming 
Saviour  now.  Josephus  never  betrays  any  personal  interest 
in  the  Messianic  doctrine,  yet  he  bears  the  strongest  testi- 
mony to  its  powerful  hold  on  the  nation.  At  the  Christian 
era  there  was  universal  doubt,  uncertainty,  and  expectation. 
From  Daniel's  great  prophecy  three  calculations  were 
made,  fixing  B.C.  17,  A.D.  67,  and  A.D.  135  as  the  date  of 
the  Messiah,  and  to  these  may  be  attributed  their  desperate 
challenge  to  the  Romans  in  66,  and  the  success  of  Bar- 
Cocheba's  pretensions  in  132.  That  was  the  last  public 
profession  of  the  earlier  creed.  The  utmost  limit  to  which 
His  coming  could  be  delayed  had  been  passed,  and  they 
shaped  despairing  legends — truer  than  they  seemed — that 
the  Shechinah  had  gone  to  the  Mount  of  Olives  and 
pleaded  with  the  people  in  vain  for  three  years  before  the 
city  fell ;  and  that  the  Messiah  actually  appeared  at  the 
destruction  of  the  Temple,  but  was  suddenly  carried  away 
to  be  revealed  at  His  proper  time. 

And  meanwhile,  why  had  they  not  received  Him  when 
He  came?  There  was  abundant  witness  to  Him.  Five 
preliminary  announcements,  by  Gabriel  to  Zacharias  and 
the  Virgin,  by  angels  to  the  shepherds,  by  the  Spirit  to 
Simeon,  and  by  a  star  to  the  Magi,  were  followed  by  the 
Baptist's  three  testimonies.  Sixteen  times  before  and 
once  after  His  resurrection,  Jesus  declared  Himself  the 
One  to  whom  the  Prophets  bore  witness,  using  the  word 
Messiah  {i.e.,  Christ)  six  times  ;  sixteen  times  also  was  He 
acknowledged  as  such  by  others,  the  word  Messiah  being 
used  six  times.  And  although  no  Jew  could  have  pictured 
Him  beforehand  as  He  actually  was,  we  cannot  imagine  any 
other  Saviour  who  could  have  satisfied  as  He  did  all  the 
wants  which  were  felt  in  His  days.  Atonement,  independ- 
ence, restoration,  dominion,  union,  in  their  highest  sense, 
were  what  He  offered  and  what  they  refused.     (See  p.  249.) 

As  a  solemn  warning  to  ourselves,  let  us  note  these  three 
causes  of  their  refusal : — 


236  EIGHTH  TERM. 

(a)  Prejudice.  "  Pre-occupation  of  the  mind  by  fixed 
opinions  (says  Dr.  Geikie)  leads  to  a  wrong  reading  of  any 
evidence.  We  unconsciously  distort  facts  or  invent  them 
to  support  our  favourite  theories,  and  see  everything 
through  their  medium.  .  .  .  The  only  way  we  can  hope  to 
see  truth  in  its  own  white  and  unbroken  light  is,  as  Christ 
tells  us,  by  our  becoming  little  children."  The  rigid 
literalism  and  unchanging  conservatism  of  the  Rabbis  shut 
out  the  light  of  the  new  and  spiritual  truths  put  before 
them  by  Christ. 

(b)  Worldliness.  Their  religious  leaders  were  lovers  of 
money  (Luke  xvi.  14,  R.V.),  and  it  was  for  their  advantage 
that  Jesus  should  die  (John  xi.  50).  So  they  clung  to  gain 
till  they  lost  all.  The  multitude  loved  the  violence  for 
which  their  prophets  had  so  often  reproved  them,  and  they 
preferred  the  brigand  (Luke  xxiii.  18,  19).  So  they 
suffered  every  conceivable  outrage  from  their  conquerors. 
Pilate  loved  Caesar's  favour  (John  xix.  12-16),  and  con- 
demned where  he  wished  to  acquit,  in  obedience  to  the 
clamour  of  a  mob.  And  Caesar  sent  him  into  ignominious 
exile. 

(c)  Self-will.  They  had  shaped  an  easy  religion  of  rigid 
outward  observances,  leading  to  exclusive  pride  and  self- 
righteousness,  while  permitting  many  "  pleasant  sins." 
With  the  national  conscience  thus  weakened  and  perverted, 
they  spurned  the  hard  religion  of  faith  and  love  which  led 
to  unselfish  humility. 

And  so  the  Messiah  could  only  weep  over  the  doomed 
city  that  He  yearned  to  save.  Yet  He  had  come  not  to 
destroy  the  Past,  but  out  of  it  to  form  the  Future.  That 
which  concerns  Him  has  complete  fulfilment  (Luke  xxii. 
37,  R.V.)  now  that  He  has  taught  in  the  Past  as  a  Prophet 
greater  than  Moses,  now  that  He  intercedes  for  us  in  the 
Present  in  virtue  of  His  one  sacrifice  as  a  Priest  greater 
than  Aaron  (Heb.  ix.  24),  now  that  His  coming  draweth 
near  in  the  Future  as  a  Kincr  orreater  than  David. 


lfc3     ir>J 


VII.  God's  Revelation  of  Himself  to  Man. 

Ever  since  Adam  and  Eve  hid  themselves  from   God 
(Gen.  iii.  8),  a  cloud  of  sin  (Isa.  lix.  2)  had  shut  out  the 


GOD'S  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF   TO  MAN.       237 

undimmed  glory  of  the  true  Light  from  man.  The  story  of 
the  Bible  is  the  story  of  how  God  gradually  dispersed  that 
earth-born  cloud,  and  with  infinite  patience  and  longsuffer- 
ing  revealed  Himself  to  men  as  they  were  able  to  bear  (John 
xvi.  12)  the  revelation.  But  never  had  they  seemed  more 
ignorant  of  God  than  in  this  day  of  dead  Judaism  and  un- 
utterably corrupt  heathenism  (Rom.  i.  25,  ii.  24;  1  Cor. 
i.  21),  the  day  in  which  Christ,  who  as  Son  of  God  knew 
Him  perfectly,  came  as  Son  of  Man  to  reveal  Him  per- 
fectly (Heb.  i.  1-3  ;  John  i.  18).  Only  God  can  comprehend 
God,  but  He  was  made  man  that  we  might  apprehend 
Him,  might  know  Him  (John  xvii.  3  ;  1  John  i.  2,  3,  ii.  13, 
v.  20),  and  draw  near  to  Him  (1  Peter  iii.  18  ;  Heb.  vii. 
19,  x.  19-22  ;  Eph.  ii.  18  ;  Rom.  v.  1,  2  ;  John  xiv.  6).  The 
Incarnate  Son  revealed  these  three  things  : — 

(a)  God's  Power  (Matt.  xix.  26). 

(&)  God's  Glory  (Isa.  xl.  5  ;  cp.  Exod.  xxxiii.  18).  Both 
had  been  to  some  extent  made  known  already,  but  both 
had  been  forgotten  (Rom.  i..  20,  23  ;  Matt.  xxii.  29). 

(c)  God's  Goodness  and  Love,  which  men  were  farthest 
from  finding  out  and  yet  most  yearned  after  (1  John  i.  5, 
iv.  8-10).  It  was  of  the  Divine  Character  above  all  that 
the  Son  was  "  the  express  image."  Even  now  men  have 
but  slowly  learned  to  replace  their  human  notion  of  a 
God  of  revenge,  who  is  to  be  slavishly  feared,  by  Christ's 
Divine  portrayal,  culminating  in  His  death  (1  John  iii.  16  ; 
Tit.  iii.  4),  of  a  God  of  Love,  who  is  to  be  humbly  loved. 

He  made  this  revelation  in  three  ways,  (a)  By  what 
He  taught.  As  at  each  previous  stage  of  revelation,  a  new 
truth  came  in  a  new  Name  of  God.  Men  had  occasionally 
ventured  to  think  of  Him  as  FATHER  already  (Deut. 
xxxii.  6 ;  1  Chron.  xxix.  10  ;  Isa.  lxiii.  16,  lxiv.  8),  and  to 
find  a  Divine  symbol  in  human  fatherhood  (Eph.  iii.  15, 
R.V.  margin).  But  He  came  in  the  Father's  name, 
proclaiming  it  clearly  and  constantly  (John  v.  43,  xvii.  6), 
and  His  witness  to  it,  as  Hausrath  points  out,  was  one 
of  the  strongest  proofs  of  the  absolute  perfection  of  His 
human  nature  (see  Westcott's  "  Revelation  of  the  Father  "). 
(J?)  By  what  He  was.  He  enabled  us  to  know  and  see 
the  Father  through  knowing  and  seeing  Him  (John  xiv. 
7-9  ;    Matt.  i.  23).     His   life  was  an  unveiling  of  God  to 


238  EIGHTH  TERM. 

the  eye  of  man's  sense,  that  the  eye  of  man's  spirit  might 
understand  Him  (Liddon).  His  Incarnation  is  the  founda- 
tion truth  of  our  creed  as  a  race  and  as  individuals.  "  All 
past  history,  so  far  as  it  has  any  permanent  significance, 
appears  to  be  the  preparation  for  that  great  mystery,  and  all 
subsequent  history  the  gradual  appropriation  of  its  results  " 
(  West co tt).  (c)  By  giving  the  Holy  Spirit  to  reveal  Him  as 
He  had  revealed  the  Father  (Acts  xvi.  7,  R.V.). 

There  is  abundant  proof  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  that 
the  Church  from  the  first  regarded  her  Founder  as  Divine. 
For  her  members  His  words  recorded  in  Matt,  xxviii.  20 
stated  not  an  abstract  doctrine,  but  a  fact  of  daily  experience. 
Accordingly  they  prayed  to  Him  in  heaven,  as  they  had 
spoken  to  Him  on  earth,  which  being  Jews  they  could  not 
have  done  had  they  regarded  Him  as  merely  human.  With 
Acts  i.  24  cp.  John  vi.  70,  ii.  24,  25,  xxi.  17;  with  Acts 
ii.  21,  vii.  59,  60  (R.V.),  and  ix.  14,  cp.  1  Cor.  i.  2  ;  with 
the  significant  word  "  began  "  in  Acts  i.  1  cp.  Mark  xvi.  20, 
2  Cor.  vi.  1. 

Lastly,  observe  how  the  doctrine  of  the  Three  in  One 
underlies  the  whole  of  Christ's  teaching,  Matt,  xxiii.  8-10, 
R.V.  (cp.  John  xiv.  26);  John  iii.  5,  16,  xiv.,  xv.,  xvi. 
His  one  explicit  statement  of  it  in  Matt,  xxviii.  19  is  not, 
however,  speculative,  but  practical.  "  The  highest  mystery 
of  the  Faith  is  conveyed  in  the  words  which  are  the  pass- 
port into  the  Christian  community  "  (  Westcott).  So  indeed 
the  whole  wondrous  revelation  of  "  Divine  Humanity  re- 
newing nature  "  (E.  B.  Browning)  had  a  directly  practical 
issue  (1  John  iii.  2  ;  2  Peter  i.  4).  In  the  grand  words  of 
Athanasius's  famous  treatise  on  the  Incarnation,  §  liv., 
"  He  became  human  that  we  might  be  made  divine." 

VIII.  Man's  Relation  to  God  in  Worship. 

Herod's  Temple  has  been  so  often  pictured  and  described 
that  we  need  not  dwell  upon  it.  Edersheim's  "  Temple 
and  its  Services"  (Religious  Tract  Society,  5^.)  gives 
a  scholarly  and  complete  account  of  it.  This  grandest 
of  all  the  three  Temples  reared  at  Jerusalem,  the  one 
honoured  by  our  Lord's  presence,  was  finally  completed 
in   A.D.  65,  the   year   before   the  war  with    Rome  broke 


MAN'S  RELATION  TO   GOD  IN  WORSHIP.  239 

out.  Five  years  later  not  one  stone  was  left  on  another 
(Matt.  xxiv.  1,  2). 

Henceforth,  realising  the  teaching  of  Mai.  i.  11  and 
John  iv.  24,  we  turn  to  the  living  Temple  of  the  future, 
which  had  Christ  for  its  corner-stone,  and  for  its  foundation 
the  Apostles  (Eph.  ii.  20),  that  first  company  of  believers 
which  has  grown  up  into  the  great  Christendom  of  to-day, 
and  will,  we  trust,  grow  into  the  greater  Christendom  of 
to-morrow.  Christ  began  to  form  His  Church  when  He 
gathered  five  disciples  about  Him  by  Jordan  (John  i.).  He 
first  named  it  after  Peter's  confession  of  the  central  truth 
upon  which  it  was  to  be  founded  (Matt.  xvi.).  Its  birthday, 
and  the  day  it  first  found  itself  face  to  face  with  the  world, 
was  the  Day  of  Pentecost  A.D.  30.  That  transformed 
a  handful  of  dejected,  faint-hearted,  materialising  Galilean 
peasants  into  the  heroic  preachers  and  confessors  who 
enlightened  the  world.  The  transient  gift  of  tongues  was 
the  symbol  of  a  permanent  and  far  greater  gift  of  spiritual 
power  on  the  day  which  began  the  last  phase  of  God's 
dealings  with  men  ;  the  day  when  He  followed  up  the 
promise  to  Abraham  and  the  law  of  Moses,  the  Tabernacle 
and  Temple  where  dwelt  as  visible  emblem  of  His  presence 
the  Shechinah,  and  the  tabernacling  in  a  mortal  body  of 
His  own  Son  amo7ig  men,  by  sending  His  Spirit  to  dwell 
in  men  (John  xiv.  17).  "  More  than  this  God  could  not 
give  ;  nearer  than  this  He  could  not  be  "  (Farrar). 

And  now  the  teaching  of  Christ,  with  its  two  new  key- 
notes, correlatives  of  each  other,  the  Fatherhood  of  God 
and  the  Brotherhood  of  Men,  was  to  be  practically  illus- 
trated. The  political  comprehension  of  mankind  in  one 
great  empire  would  give  way  to  a  moral  federation  of 
mankind  through  a  common  faith. 

The  first  two  stages  of  the  history  of  that  Church  which 
placed  men  in  a  new  relation  to  each  other  were  : — 

(1)  The  Hebrew  Period,  when  it  consisted  of  Jews  of 
Palestine  speaking  Aramaic,  and  probably  reckoned  as 
only  one  more  synagogue  in  a  city  which  already  had  480. 

(2)  The  Hellenistic  Period,  when  it  included  Jews  of  the 
Dispersion  speaking  Greek.     See  "Oxford   Helps,"  §   xiii. 

We  begin  next  term  by  considering  the  steps  that  led 
to  the  formation  of  a  Gentile  Church. 


240  EIGHTH  TERM. 

Here  it  only  remains  for  us  to  show  that  Christ  placed 
men  in  a  new  relation,  not  merely  to  each  other,  but  to 
God.  He  taught  that  religion  does  not  depend  upon 
external  precepts,  but  upon  surrender  of  the  will  to  God  ; 
that  good  acts  have  no  value  apart  from  good  motives  ; 
that  hatred,  not  violence,  is  the  essence  of  murder  ;  that 
God  looks  at  the  sinful  thought  rather  than  the  criminal 
deed.  He  did  more  than  teach.  Human  sin,  a  far  more 
heinous  thing  than  men  had  hitherto  thought  it,  is  taken 
away  once  and  for  ever  by  the  Sinless  One  (John  i.  29), 
who  laid  down  His  life  for  men. 

"  Yea,  once  Immanuel's  orphaned  cry  His  universe  hath  shaken, — 
It  went  up  single,  echoless,  '  My  God,  I  am  forsaken ! ' 
It  went  up  from  the  Holy's  lips  amid  His  lost  creation, 
That,  of  the  lost,  no  son  should  use  those  words  of  desolation." 

E.  B.  Browning. 


IX.  Questions. 
(See  pp.  13,  18.) 

[For  all  the  Questions  pp.  244-277  may  be  consulted,  and  for  Questions  IV., 
VI.,  XVIIL,  XXIII.,  XXIX.,  and  XXXI.  any  other  books.] 

I.  What  Old  Testament  allusions  are  there  to  the  town 
and  to  the  house  in  which  Christ  was  born  ?     (6.) 

II.  Draw  out  in  tabular  form  a  contrast  in  character  and 
circumstances  between  Christ  and  His  Forerunner.     (12.) 

III.  Illustrate  Luke  iv.  13  and  Heb.  iv.  15,  by  showing 
that  each  of  the  three  temptations  in  the  wilderness  was 
afterwards  repeated  in  a  somewhat  different  form.     (3.) 

IV.  Ahaz  was  rebuked  for  not  asking  a  sign  (Isa.  vii.). 
Christ  rebuked  the  Jews  for  asking  a  sign.     Explain  this. 

V.  Which  of  Christ's  miracles  were  wrought  on  the 
Sabbath?  and  how  did  He  vindicate  His  action  on  each 
occasion  ?     (14.) 

VI.  Which  of  His  miracles  were  not  to  be  proclaimed  ? 
Why  was  this  silence  enjoined  ?     (8.) 

VII.  Show  that  among  those  who  came  to  Christ  there 
were  representatives  of  (1)  the  Ten  Tribes,  (2)  the  Two 
Tribes,  (3)  Samaritans,  (4)  Greeks,  (5)  Romans,  (6)  Women, 
(7)  Children,  (8)  Citizens,  (9)  Rustics,  (10)  Rich,  fu)  Poor, 


QUESTIONS.  241 

(12)    Honourable,   (13)    Degraded,    (14)   Wise,   (15)    Un- 
learned.    (15.) 

VIII.  Quote  our  Lord's  description  of  the  Apostle 
Bartholomew,  and  mention  two  Canaanitish  women  com- 
mended for  their  faith  in  this  term's  reading.     (3.) 

IX.  Illustrate  Heb.  ii.  17,  by  showing  that  our  Lord 
suffered  hunger,  thirst,  weariness,  and  poverty  ;  that  He 
wept,  and  passed  through  severe  mental  anguish.     (9.) 

X.  On  what  occasions  did  He  express  (1)  Joy,  (2)  Sorrow 
for  human  suffering,  (3)  Tender  consideration  for  others, 
(4)  Pity  for  the  multitude,  (5)  Sympathy  and  affection  for 
His  friends,  (6)  Filial  love,  (6)  Surprise,  (8)  Disappoint- 
ment, (9)  Indignation,  (10)  Anger,  (11)  Disdain,  (12)  Zeal 
for  God's  glory  ?     (12.) 

XI.  How  did  He  illustrate  in  His  own  life  His  teaching 
that  men  ought  always  to  pray  ?     Give  references.     (20.) 

XII.  Quote  instances  of  (1)  His  patience  and  humility, 
(2)  His  courage,  (3)  His  prudence,  (4)  His  tenderness  to 
and  love  of  children,  (5)  His  personal  fulfilment  of  the 
Mosaic  Law.     (15.) 

XIII.  Show  that  He  claimed  Divine  power  to  forgive 
sins,  and  assumed  and  accepted  titles  given  to  God  in  the 
Old  Testament.     (10.) 

XIV.  Give  examples  of  that  Divine  knowledge  of  men's 
thoughts  through  which  His  disciples  were  persuaded  that 
He  came  forth  from  God.     John  xvi.  30  (R.V.)     (8.) 

XV.  Name  seven  occasions  on  which  His  look  and 
bearing  awed  and  confounded  His  foes.     (7.) 

XVI.  Four  times  before  the  multitude  and  five  times 
to  the  Apostles  He  alluded  prophetically  to  His  Resur- 
rection. Quote  the  passages,  and  show  that  He  also 
foretold  the  Pentecostal  gift  of  the  Spirit  and  His  own 
Second  Coming.     (10.) 

XVII.  Once  He  called  Himself  "the  King,"  and  once 
He  called  His  disciples  "  little  children."  Give  references. 
Where  is  He  called  "  Our  Lord  "  for  the  first  time?     (3.) 

XVIII.  What  do  you  understand  by  these  expressions  : 
Miracle,  Parable,  Gospel,  Repentance,  Kingdom  of  Heaven  ? 

(10.) 

XIX.  Illustrate  the  special  characteristics  of  each  Gospel 
by  enumerating  some  incidents,  etc.,  peculiar  to  it.     (20) 

16 


242  EIGHTH   TERM. 

XX.  Which  Evangelist  makes  most  and  which  fewest 
quotations  from  the  Old  Testament  ?  Name  the  only 
miracle  recorded  by  all  the  Evangelists.     (3.) 

XXL  What  evidence  is  there  in  the  Synoptists  of  the 
ministry  in  Judaea  and  in  S.  John  of  that  in  Galilee  ?     (8.) 

XXII.  Show  that  S.  John  recognises  though  he  does 
not  directly  relate,  (a)  that  Christ's  birth  was  miraculous, 
(/?)  that  He  was  reputed  son  of  Joseph,  (c)  that  in  youth 
He  was  subject  to  His  mother  and  Joseph,  (d)  that  He 
dwelt  at  Nazareth,  (e)  that  the  Spirit  came  upon  Him  at 
His  baptism,  (/)  that  He  was  rejected  at  Nazareth, 
(g)  that  He  appointed  twelve  Apostles,  (Ji)  that  the  Baptist 
was  imprisoned,  (i)  that  Christ  ascended  to  heaven.  Find 
in  S.  John  the  ground  of  the  accusation  in  Matt.  xxvi.  61. 
Is  there  any  reference  to  the  Sacraments  in  S.  John?    (12.) 

XXIII.  Briefly  define  the  following  New  Testament 
terms  :  (a)  Pharisees,  (b)  Sadducees,  (V)  Herodians, 
(d)  Zealots,  (e)  Scribes,  (/)  Lawyers,  (g)  Chief  Priests, 
\h)  Rulers  of  the  Synagogue,  (Y)  Proselytes,  (/)  Publicans, 
(k)  Libertines,  (/)  Greeks,  (m)  Grecians.     (26.) 

XXIV.  Analyse  shortly  S.  Peter's  first  sermon,  indicating 
the  thread  of  his  argument,  and  show  that  the  leading 
theme  of  all  his  teaching  was  Christ  Risen.     (8.) 

XXV.  Point  out  the  causes,  instigators,  and  immediate 
results  of  each  of  the  four  Persecutions  of  the  Church 
recorded  in  Acts  i. — xii.     (8.) 

XXVI.  Discriminate  in  this  term's  period  of  history 
three  persons  named  James  (i.e.,  Jacob)  ;  four  named  Philip  ; 
five  named  Joseph  ;  five  named  John  ;  five  named  Judas  ; 
five  named  Mary  {i.e.,  Miriam)  ;  and  eleven  named  Simon 
or  Simeon.     (38.) 

XXVII.  Trace  the  influence  of  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  in  the  Epistle  of  S.  James.     (12.) 

XXVIII.  Trace  the  influence  of  words  and  incidents  in 
the  Gospels  on  S.  Peter's  Epistles.     (15.) 

XXIX.  Consider  the  historical  accuracy  of  the  statements 
in  John  vii.  52,  viii.  33  ;  Heb.  vii.  3,  27,  ix.  3,  4.     (10.) 

XXX.  Write  out  the  fifteen  practical  inferences  in 
Hebrews  introduced  by  "  wherefore,"  "  therefore,"  or 
"  then."     (8.) 

XXXI.  Explain  briefly  the  following  passages  :    Matt. 


QUESTIONS.  243 

viii.  22,  xxiii.  5  ;  Luke  xii.  5,  xvi.  9,  xxiii.  31  ;  Acts  ii.  23  ; 
1  Peter  iii.  19  ;  2  Peter  i.  20 ;  Jude  19  ;  Heb.  vi.  3-6.     (30.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following  (the  first  four 
occur  more  than  once)  : — (a)  "  Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee." 
(6)  "  Follow  Me."  (c)  "  Weep  not."  (d)  "  He  cannot  be  My 
disciple."  (e)  "  Able  to  save  to  the  uttermost."  (/)  "  Able 
to  guard  you  from  stumbling."  (^)  "  Out  of  death 
into  life."  (h)  "To  each  one  his  work."  (J)  "That  we 
may  see  and  believe."  (j)  "  Said  I  not,  If  thou  believedst 
thou  shouldst  see  ? "  (k)  "  Take  heed  what  ye  hear." 
(/)  "  Take  heed  how  ye  hear."  {111)  "  Have  ye  not  read  ?  " 
In)  "  Let  him  that  readeth  understand."  (p)  "  Do  good, 
despairing  of  no  man."  (/)  "  Make  straight  paths  for  your 
feet."  (g)  "Ye  have  need  of  patience."  (r)"Your  Father 
knoweth."  (s)  "  A  people  for  God's  own  possession." 
(/)  "  Good  stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God."  (u)  "  Ye 
have  taken  your  pleasure."  (v)  "  Because  he  gave  not 
God  the  glory."  (w)  "  He  is  guilty  of  an  eternal  sin." 
(x)  "  Doth  the  spirit  .  .  .  long  unto  envying  ?  "  (y)  "  Men 
spake  from  God."  (z)  "  This  He  said,  making  all  meats 
clean."     (32.) 

For  Second  Series  of  Questions,  see  p.  309. 


THE   GOSPELS 
ARRANGED   IN   THEIR   HISTORICAL  SEQUENCE. 

I.  Method  and  Purpose  of  the  Gospels. 

THE  difficulties  of  Biblical  chronology  culminate  when 
we  come  to  the  Life  of  our  Lord.  The  one  point 
on  which  all  good  authorities  agree  is  that  an  exact 
Harmony  of  the  Four  Gospels  cannot  be  constructed. 
As  memoirs  containing  infinitely  beautiful  pictures  of  the 
infinitely  beautiful  Life  they  are  perfect.  But  as  formal 
biographies  they  are  confessedly  fragmentary  and  obviously 
incomplete,  more  like  lectures  on  the  Life  than  annals  of 
it.  Dean  Alford  represents  all  the  scholars  when  he  points 
out  that  their  authors  wrote  with  no  design  of  being  pieced 
together  into  a  complete  history,  and  all  attempt  to  do 
this  must  be  merely  conjectural.  John  xxi.  25  warns  us 
that  we  have  only  a  selection  of  events,  and  the  notes  of 
time  throughout  are  few  and  vague. 

S.  Matthew's  style  has  the  most  appearance  of  continuity, 
yet  he  diverges  most  widely  from  chronological  methods. 
S.  Luke  professes  to  write  "  in  order  "  (Luke  i.  3),  but  that 
does  not  necessarily  involve  (says  Dr.  Westcott)  order  of 
time,  but  rather  of  logical  or  moral  sequence.  S.  Mark's 
clear  and  precise  story  furnishes  several  accurate  and 
valuable  chronological  data.  S.  John's  narrative  appears 
to  be  chronological  throughout,  but  the  points  of  contact 
between  it  and  that  of  the  other  Evangelists  are  not  always 
easy  to  fix.  Moreover,  there  is  not  one  absolutely  certain 
date  in  the  whole  Gospel  history.  And  when  we  look 
elsewhere  for  additional  information,  we  only  learn  that 
outside  our  four  Gospels  traditions  concerning  Christ  are 

244 


METHOD  AND  PURPOSE   OF  THE  GOSPELS.       245 

very  few,  slight,  and  untrustworthy.    Knowing  the  Gospels 
we  know  all  that  can  now  be  known  about  His  life. 

For  our  spiritual  instruction  they  are  all-sufficient  Their 
purpose,  as  expressed  in  John  xx.  30,  31,  can  be  fulfilled 
without  exhaustive  information  or  an  exact  table  of  dates. 
As  a  whole,  they  may  be  fragmentary,  but  they  are  not 
fragments.  Each  has  unity  and  design,  a  spiritual  law  binds 
together  its  several  parts,  and  its  selection  of  representative 
facts  is  grouped  according  to  its  own  dominant  idea  and 
conveys  its  peculiar  lesson  (see  p.  221).  Their  real  harmony 
is  essentially  moral,  not  mechanical.  It  is  not  to  be  found 
in  an  ingenious  mosaic  of  disjointed  fragments,  but  in  con- 
templation of  each  narrative  at  its  proper  point  of  sight. 
This  brings  out  the  manifoldness  of  the  record  of  Christ's 
many-sided  life,  while  the  unbroken  spiritual  concord  in 
four  independent  histories  is  a  convincing  proof  of  their 
inspiration. 

When  all  this  has  been  said,  however,  it  is  still  possible 
to  get  a  fifth  and  most  instructive  view  of  our  Lord's 
sojourn  on  earth  by  combining  these  narratives,  and  so 
forming  a  general  idea  of  the  course  of  events.  Nor  need 
we  ignore  the  special  characteristics  of  each  Gospel  or  fail 
to  recognise  throughout  that  while  the  substance  of  our 
Harmony  deals  with  facts,  its  arrangement  deals  with 
probabilities. 

The  dates  given  below  are  agreed  on  by  many  good 
authorities.  Some  make  the  Crucifixion  one  year  earlier, 
others  two  (or  three)  years  later  than  A.D.  30.  Here  are 
the  points  from  which  all  the  dates  must  be  calculated. 
Herod's  Temple  was  begun  in  B.C.  19.  The  course  of 
Abijah  went  out  of  office  on  October  9th,  B.C.  6.  Herod 
died  April  1st,  B.C.  4.  Tiberius  began  his  joint  rule  with 
Augustus  A.D.  12.     Pilate  was  deposed  A.D.  36. 

The  plan  we  adopt  with  regard  to  all  those  incidents 
whose  exact  place  in  the  narrative  cannot  be  determined 
is  to  assume  that  the  order  is  chronological  wherever  we 
have  not  proof  to  the  contrary  (a  large  assumption,  looking 
at  the  many  cases  in  which  sequence  of  time  can  be  shown 
to  give  place  to  sequence  of  thought),  and  to  regard  the 
unity  of  each  Gospel  by  breaking  it  up  as  little  as  possible. 
Where  the  order  of  time  is  not  evident,  we  shall  follow  the 


246  THE   GOSPELS. 

Evangelists  in  grouping  together  incidents  that  illustrate 
each  other.  S.  John's  order  we  leave  unchanged,  and  we 
only  depart  twice  from  that  of  S.  Mark,  and  five  times  from 
that  of  S.  Luke. 

II.  Difficulties. 

Ours  is  the  practical  purpose  of  reading  the  Gospels 
together  in  the  best  way.  Therefore  we  need  not  enter 
upon  interminable  discussions  of  problems  that  can  never 
be  solved.  Their  solution,  had  it  been  essential,  could  have 
been  given  in  two  or  three  words ;  but  the  silence  of 
Scripture  baffles  speculation.  Every  disputed  point  has  been 
determined  in  this  Harmony  after  much  consideration  and 
fullest  consultation  of  those  whose  scholarship  gives  them  the 
right  to  an  opinion.  But  lest  probabilities  be  taken  for  cer- 
tainties, I  will  briefly  mention  the  chief  questions  that  arise. 

(i)  What  was  the  duration  of  our  Lord's  Ministry? 
Three  Passovers  are  mentioned  by  S.  John,  so  it  could 
not  have  been  less  than  two  years.  If  John  v.  i  also 
refers  to  a  Passover  (see  R.V.  margin)  it  must  have  been 
three  years.  Other  excellent  authorities  explain  John  v.  I 
of  Pentecost  or  Tabernacles  or  Purim  or  the  Feast  of 
Trumpets  in  September.  Even  so,  Luke  vi.  I  implies 
a  Passover  other  than  those  of  John  ii.  and  vi.  (but  see 
R.V.),  and  Luke  xiii.  7,  32  suggests  three  years,  t.e.,  3  J  years 
from  the  Baptism.  Moreover  3  J  years  is  always  a  signifi- 
cant period  in  the  prophetic  writings. 

(2)  Do  Mark  vi.  and  Luke  iv.  refer  to  one  or  to  two 
rejections  at  Nazareth  ?  If  to  one,  which  gives  it  in  the 
right  order  ? 

(3)  Do  Luke  v.  1-11  and  Matt.  iv.  18-22  refer  to  the 
same  event?  If  so,  did  it  precede  or  follow  the  great 
Sabbath  at  Capernaum  ? 

(4)  Do  Matt.  v. — vii.  and  Luke  vi.  report  the  same 
sermon  ?  If  so,  was  it  preached  at  the  beginning  or  in  the 
course  of  the  ministry  in  Galilee? 

(5)  Did  the  conflict  of  Matt.  xii.  22-45  take  place  in 
the  order  indicated  by  S.  Mark  or  in  that  indicated  by 
S.  Luke  ? 

(6)  Do  the  incidents  of  John  ix. — x.  21  belong  to  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles  or  to  the  Feast  of  Dedication  t 


AUTHORITIES.  247 

(7)  What  is  the  relation  of  the  events  of  Luke  ix.  52 — 
xviii.  30  to  each  other,  and  to  S.  John's  narrative  ?  This 
great  episode  is  an  argument  against  the  observance  of  an 
exact  order  of  time  in  the  Gospels,  and  an  illustration 
of  their  real  mode  of  sequence.  Many  of  its  sayings 
occur  elsewhere  in  different  contexts,  but  they  may  very 
naturally  have  been  uttered  more  than  once.  Throughout 
its  keynote  is  To  Jerusalem — to  suffer,  and  the  burden  of 
its  teaching  is  the  contrast  between  the  spiritual  and  the 
literal  Israel,  between  the  true  and  the  false  people  of  God. 
We  understand  it  best  by  reading  it  as  a  whole,  though  all 
its  incidents  may  not  have  occurred  in  the  six  months  to 
which  we  assign  them. 

(8)  Did  the  Last  Supper  take  place  on  Nisan  13  or 
Nisan  14,  on  or  before  the  Passover  day? 


III.  Authorities. 

Erudite  references  to  authorities  are  not  characteristic 
of  this  simple  and  practical  volume.  But  its  readers  may 
like  to  have  the  names  of  some  of  the  books  found  help- 
ful in  preparing  this  Harmony  : — Westcott's  "  S.  John  " 
(Speaker's  Commentary)  and  "  Introduction  to  the  Study 
of  the  Gospels  "  ;  Farrar's  "  S.  Luke  "  and  "  Life  of  Christ"  ; 
Geikie's  "  Life  and  Words  of  Christ"  ;  Smith's  "  New  Testa- 
ment History  "  and  "  Dictionary  of  the  Bible  "  ;  Conder's 
"  Life  of  Christ "  ;  Hanna's  "  Our  Lord's  Life  on  Earth  "  ; 
Stalker's  "  Life  of  Christ "  ;  Edersheim's  "  Ministry  and 
Services  of  the  Temple"  ;  and  Trench's  "  Miracles  of  our 
Lord." 

IV.  Plan  of  this  Harmony. 

Each  of  the  three  years  of  the  Ministry  has  its  own 
distinguishing  feature.  Note  also  that  there  is  positive 
evidence  for  our  division  of  the  third  year,  and  circum- 
stantial evidence  for  our  division  of  the  second  year,  but  that 
the  similar  division  of  the  first  year  is  purely  conjectural. 
To  each  of  the  ten  Periods  two  mottoes  are  prefixed,  one 
from  Old  Testament  prophecy  anticipating  Christ's  coming 
and  fulfilled  by  Him,  the  other  from  those  earliest  Christian 


248  THE  GOSPELS. 

writings  (some  even  earlier  than  the  Gospels),  which  vouch 
for  all  the  main  facts  of  the  Gospel  story,  and  form  its 
most  important  corroboration.  The  following  matters  are 
emphasized  throughout,  generally  by  use  of  italics. 

(a)  Miracles,  which  are  most  numerous  in  the  Fourth 
Period.  Thirty-five  are  described,  but  many  others  were 
wrought.  Their  distribution  is  significant,  and  the  key  to 
their  meaning  lies  in  the  fact  that  they  were  not  mere 
wonders  of  Christ's  power,  but  redemptive  acts  of  His 
grace  and  expressions  of  His  character,  each  at  once  a  work 
and  a  revelation.  Christ  was  Himself  the  great  miracle  of 
which  His  particular  miracles  were  merely  sparks  or 
emanations.  They  entered  with  Him,  not  to  disturb  but 
to  repair  the  harmony  of  nature.  See  Liddon's  "  Elements 
of  Religion,"  Lecture  II. 

{li)  Parables,  of  which  there  are  three  chief  groups  :  one 
in  the  Sixth  Period  (see  Matthew)  after  the  first  great  crisis 
of  conflict  with  the  Pharisees  ;  one  in  the  Eighth  Period 
(see  Luke)  during  the  journey  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  one  on 
the  Day  of  Gainsayings  (see  Matthew).  We  reckon  the 
recorded  Parables  as  thirty-five  in  number,  but  they  are 
less  easily  counted  than  the  Miracles.  Some  make  50 ; 
others  only  27.  S.  John  represents  the  higher  stage  of 
teaching  which  had  got  beyond  Parables. 

Clearly  the  recorded  Miracles  and  Parables  are  only 
specimens  of  Christ's  works  and  words  (see  John  xii.  37  ; 
Matt.  xiii.  34).  Observe  that  Miracles  were  most  numerous 
at  the  beginning,  to  call  attention  to  His  teaching ;  and 
that  not  until  He  has  been  rejected  by  "  the  wise  "  does 
He  systematically  teach  "  the  babes  "  by  Parables,  fixed 
first  in  the  imagination  and  memory,  and  gradually  en- 
lightening the  understanding  afterwards.  Never  yet  had 
been  speaking  so  simple,  yet  so  profound  ;  so  pictorial, 
yet  so  absolutely  true. 

(c)  Only  the  leading  truths  of  the  chief  Discourses  of 
Christ  can  be  indicated.  Observe  the  progressive  character 
of  the  teaching  throughout,  and  the  mode  of  addressing 
men  as  men,  which  makes  Christ's  words  come  with  fresh 
force  to  each  fresh  generation  ;  and  note  that  Authority, 
Boldness,  Power,  and  Graciousness  are  His  most  striking 
characteristics  as  a  Preacher. 


PLAN  OF  THIS  HARMONY.  249 

(d)  Seven  Visits  to  Jerusalem  form  useful  landmarks. 
This,  like  all  our  enumerations,  refers  to  records,  not  to 
events.  From  the  silence  of  the  Gospels  we  can  never 
safely  argue.  Luke  xiii.  34  implies  more  than  the  three 
visits  during  the  Ministry  recorded  as  having  occurred 
before  these  words  were  uttered. 

(e)  Our  Lords  Manifestation  of  Himself  as  the  Divine 
Messiah  of  Prophecy  and  Recognition  as  such  should  be  noted, 
with  the  time,  circumstances,  and  extent  of  each  successive 
manifestation.  He  made  no  sudden  proclamation  of  His 
office,  nor  did  He  continually  revert  to  it.  For  (1)  He 
desired  to  shun  popular  excitement,  that  His  words  might 
have  time  to  take  root  and  bear  fruit.  (2)  He  could  neither 
descend  to  their  ideal,  nor  raise  them  to  His.  They  looked 
forward  to  a  political  Messiah  who  would  exalt  their  race, 
establish  the  Mosaic  Law  in  its  Rabbinic  form  for  ever, 
and  destroy  the  heathen.  Their  hope  had  degenerated 
into  a  standing  conspiracy  of  the  nation  against  its  actual 
rulers.  For  this,  the  idea  of  the  true  suffering  Messiah, 
establishing  a  kingdom  on  love  not  on  force,  ruling  in  not 
over  men,  could  not  be  substituted  at  once,  and  even  after 
the  Resurrection  the  Apostles  themselves  had  not  entirely 
unlearned  the  notions  of  the  past.  (3)  Instead  of  the 
human  or  angelic  Messiah  of  their  thoughts,  He  slowly 
revealed  the  Divine  Messiah.  Hence,  though  He  never 
refused  the  title  when  given  to  Him,  and  habitually  spoke 
of  Himself  as  Son  of  Man  (a  recognised  name  of  the 
Messiah,  see  p.  155),  and  implied  Messiahship  continually 
by  His  acts,  He  only  assumed  the  title  openly  towards  the 
end  of  His  Ministry,  and  His  public  and  official  claim  to 
be  the  Divine  Messiah  (Mark  xiv.  61,  62)  was  reserved  for 
a  moment  when  all  false  expectations  of  political  revolution 
were  at  an  end,  and  swift  sentence  of  death  was  its 
inevitable  outcome  (see  p.  272). 

(/)  The  development  of  Opposition,  more  and  more  noisy, 
persistent,  and  pitiless,  is  one  of  the  most  perplexing 
features  of  the  history.  Why  was  not  He  welcomed  by 
the  world  He  came  to  save?  Why  is  not  every  knee 
bowed  to  Him  now  in  grateful  homage  ?  This  opposition 
was  foretold  from  the  first  (Luke  ii.  34),  and  expected  by 
Christ   Himself  throughout.     He  set  forth  its   cause  and 


250  THE   GOSPELS. 

true  character  (John  xv.  19,  24),  and  the  latest  Evangelist 
expounds  it  more  fully  than  his  predecessors  in  those 
"  comments  "  which  are  peculiar  to  His  Gospel.  John  i.  5, 
11,  iii.  19,  20,  32,  xi.  51,  52,  xii.  37-43.  Demanding  a  sign 
was  one  significant  form  of  this  opposition,  met  each  time 
in  a  noteworthy  way. 

(g)  Rejected  by  the  unbelief  of  the  religious  leaders  of 
His  own  nation,  and  by  His  fellow-townsmen  of  Nazareth 
and  Capernaum,  He  was  received  by  the  poor  of  Galilee, 
by  the  Samaritans,  and  by  the  Gentiles. 

(Ji)  First  by  vague  allusion,  then  by  direct  prophecy, 
Christ  foretold  His  own  Passion  ;  22  of  the  30  allusions  to 
it  were  made  after  S.  Peter's  Confession  (i.e.,  almost  within 
the  last  six  months),  and  in  five  of  them  the  Resurrection 
is  named.  This  prophecy  culminates  in  the  command  to 
commemorate  for  ever  (1  Cor.  xi.  25,  26),  not  His  life,  nor 
His  teaching,  nor  His  miracles,  nor  even  His  resurrection, 
but  His  shameful  death,  which  seemed  to  all  defeat.  When 
His  followers  anticipated  triumph,  He  calmly  predicted 
His  rejection.  When  His  enemies  were  certain  that  they 
had  secured  the  destruction  of  Himself  and  His  doctrine, 
He  looked  forward  with  majestic  confidence  to  His  ultimate 
universal  dominion.  No  more  convincing  proof  that  His 
power  and  wisdom  were  alike  Divine  could  be  given  (Isa. 
xlvi.  10). 

(z)  Remembering  that  Christ  was  not  only  the  greatest 
Teacher  of  God's  Will,  but  also  the  greatest  Example 
of  conformity  to  it,  we  note  lastly  how  His  life  was 
throughout  a  life  of  Prayer,  and  a  perfect  demonstra- 
tion of  the  duty,  privilege,  and  pozver  of  supplication  to 
God. 

Endeavour  is  made  in  the  following  pages  to  give  the 
best  possible  Life  of  our  Lord  by  neither  superseding  nor 
supplementing  the  Gospels,  but  by  putting  the  student  in 
a  position  to  read  their  record  with  fresher  and  fuller 
appreciation  of  its  meaning.  Other  noble  lives  stir  us  up 
to  emulation,  and  rouse  our  admiration  and  affection  for 
those  who  lived  them.  That  is  all.  But  in  the  case  of  this 
Life  that  cannot  be  all.  All  that  Christ  surrendered,  all 
that  He  did,  all  that  He  taught,  and  all  that  He  suffered, 
was  for  us  men  and  for  our  salvation,  and  knowing  about 


FIRST  PERIOD.  251 

Him  as  He  lived  then  on  earth,  through  the  well-attested 
memoirs  of  His  four  disciples,  cannot  leave  us  where  it 
found  us.  Before  us,  as  before  the  Jews,  more  than  i860 
years  ago,  is  placed  the  alternative  of  accepting  or  rejecting 
Him  ;  for  God  compels  no  man  to  believe  against  his  will. 
May  I  say  then  to  every  reader  of  this  volume,  Ask  your- 
self, as  the  familiar  story  of  the  Saviour  is  once  more  put 
before  you,  "  What  difference  has  His  life  and  death  made 
to  me?  Did  He,  or  did  He  not,  give  Himself  for  me  in 
vain  ? "  If  He  is  already  all  in  all  to  you,  thank  Him 
afresh  for  what  He  has  done.  If  you  have  never  sought 
Him,  seek  Him  now  ;  trust  yourself,  your  life  here,  your 
life  hereafter,  once  for  all  to  that  freely  given  and  fully 
proved  love.  Add  one  more  to  those  myriads  of  His 
redeemed,  who  can  testify  that  He  blesses  above  all  we 
ask  or  think  those  who  through  faith  have  learned  to 
know  Him  as  He  lives  now  in  Heaven. 


First  Period. 

B.C.  6  to  a.d.  26. 

Birth,  Infancy,  and  Youth  of  Christ. 

Matt,  i.,  ii. ;  Luke  i.,  ii.,  iii.  23-38;  John  i.   1-18. 

"Unto  us  a  Child  is  born." — Isa.  ix.  6. 

H  Born  of  a  woman,  born  under  the  law" — Gal.  iv.  4. 

S.  Luke's  Introduction.  Character  and  purpose  of  the 
Gospels.     Luke  i.  1-4. 

S.  John's  Prologue.  The  Divine  and  Eternal  Word 
creating  the  world  and  manifesting  Himself  to  man  through 
His  Incarnation.  Christ  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God. 
John  i.  1-18. 

Legal  Pedigree  as  Abraham's  seed  and  Solomon's  heir, 
Christ  the  greatest  Son  of  David  and  King  of  Israel 
Matt.  i.  1-17. 

NaUiral  Pedigree  as  David's  descendant  tl. rough  Nathan. 
Christ  the  greatest  Son  of  Adam  and  the  Son  of  Man. 
Luke  iii.  23-38. 

B.C.  6.     Early  in   October  (?),  in   the  Temple  at  Jem- 


252  THE  GOSPELS. 

salem,  announcement  to  Zacharias  the  priest  of  the  birth 
of  John  as  forerunner  of  the  Lord  God.     Luke  i.  5-25. 

B.C.  5.  End  of  March  (?),  at  Nazareth,  first  announce- 
ment to  the  Virgin  Mary  (type  of  the  Church)  of  the  birth 
of  JESUS,  God's  Son  and  David's  heir.  Her  visit  to 
Elisabeth.     The  first  Christian  hymn.     Luke  i.  26-56. 

B.C.  5.  Early  in  July  (?),  at  a  city  of  Judah,  birth  of 
John,  greatest  son  of  Aaron.  The  second  Christian  hymn. 
Luke  i.  57-80. 

At  Nazareth,  second  announcement  to  Joseph  (type  of 
Israel)  of  the  birth  of  JESUS,  the  Divine  Saviour  from  sin. 
Matt.  i.  18-25. 

B.C.  5.  End  of  December  (or  B.C.  4,  beginning  of 
January),  at  Bethlehem,  JESUS  Born,  and  made  known  to 
the  shepherds  (types  of  the  poor  who  gladly  receive  the 
Gospel),  by  angels  as  a  Saviour,  Messiah  the  Lord.  First 
adoration.  Luke  ii.  1-20.  The  latest  research  confirms  the  tradi- 
tional date  of  mid-winter. 

Eight  days  later,  Jesus  is  circumcised  and  named,  thus 
beginning  to  fulfil  the  Law  as  perfect  Man.     Luke  ii.  21. 

B.C.  4.  February.  First  visit  to  Jerusalem.  In  the 
Temple,  Jesus  redeemed  as  a  first-born  son  (Exod.  xiii.  ; 
Num.  iii.  13),  presented  to  God  the  Father,  enrolled  in 
the  register,  and  received  by  Simeon  and  Anna  (types  of 
the  faithful  remnant  of  Israel),  to  whom  He  is  made  known 
by  God  the  Holy  Spirit  as  Jehovah's  Messiah.  The  third 
Christian  hymn.     Luke  ii.  22-38. 

At  Bethlehem,  the  Magi,  to  whom  He  has  been  made 
known  by  a  star  as  the  King  of  the  Jews,  pay  the  first 
formal  Jiomage  to  Christ.  His  first  Manifestation  to  the 
Gentiles.  First  persecution,  by  Herod.  Flight  into  Egypt 
(tradition  says  to  Memphis).  Massacre  of  the  Innocents. 
Death  of  Herod  on  April  1.  Return  to  Nazareth.  Matt, 
ii.  ;  Luke  ii.  39.  The  Magi  were  probably  Persians,  and  represented 
the  Zoroastrian  system,  the  purest  form  of  religion  which  man  has 
devised  without  knowledge  of  the  True  God.     See  p.  156. 

A.D.  8.  PASSOVER.  Second  visit  to  Jerusalem.  In  the 
Temple,  Jesus  announces,  in  His  first  recorded  words,  His 
Divine  parentage  and  life-work  with  its  sacred  law  of  self- 
sacrifice.  His  youth  of  sinless  obedience  and  obscure  toil 
as  our  Example.     Luke  ii.  40-52. 


SECOND  PERIOD.  253 

Second  Period. 

Summer  of  A.D.  26  to  Passover  of  A.D.  27. 

The  Preparation  for  the  Ministry. 

Matt.  iii.,  iv.  1-11;  Mark  i.   1-13  ;  Luke  iii.   1-18,  21-3, 
iv.  1 -1 3  ;  John  i.  19 — ii.  12. 

"  The  Lord  hath  anointed  Me  to  preach  good  tidings  unto 
the  meek." — Isa.  lxi.  I. 

"He  Himself  hath  suffered  being  tempted" — Heb.  ii.  18. 

In  the  wilderness  of  Judaea,  John,  aged  30  (1  Chron. 
xxiii.  3),  begins  to  preach  repentance,  to  baptize,  and  to 
give  His  first  testimony  to  Jesus  as  the  Coming  One,  and 
to  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  now  at  hand.  Matt  iii.  1-12  ; 
Mark  i.  1-8  ;  Luke  iii.  1-18. 

In  Jordan,  Jesus  (aged  about  30,  Num.  iv.  352  Sam. 
v.  4),  is  baptized  by  John,  and,  while  praying,  anointed  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  as  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King,  and  thus  set 
apart  for  His  work  and  made  known  as  God's  beloved 
Son  by  the  First  Voice  from  Heaven,  heard  probably  by 
Jesus  and  the  Baptist  only.  Matt.  iii.  13-17  ;  Mark  i.  9-1 1  ; 
Luke  iii.  21-3. 

In  the  wilderness,  He  fasts  40  days,  and  as  the  Second 
Adam  retrieves  man's  Fall  by  overcoming  the  threefold 
temptation  for  body,  spirit,  and  soul  ;  concerning  sense 
God,  and  man  ;  to  lust  of  the  flesh,  vainglory  of  life,  and 
lust  of  the  eyes  ;  or  to  reliance  on  self  not  on  God,  religious 
presumption,  and  earthly  ambition  ;  or  in  one  word,  to 
self-will.  Thus  His  absolute  sinlessness  is  tested  and  proved. 
Matt.  iv.  1- 1 1  ;  Mark  i.  12,  13  ;  Luke  iv.  1-13.  s.  Matthew 
evidently  gives  the  temptations  in  the  order  in  which  they  occurred, 
which  is  followed  above. 

At  Bethany  beyond  Jordan,  John  gives  His  second 
testimony  to  fesus  as  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Lamb  of 
God,  or  divinely  given  atonement  for  sin.  Jesus  calls  His 
first  disciples,  Andrew,  John,  Peter,  James  (?),  Philip,  and 
Nathanael,  and  thus  begins  to  form  His  Church.  They 
acknowledge  Him  as  Messiah,  and  Nathanael  calls  Him 
Son  of  God  and  King  of  Israel.     John  i.  19-51. 


254  THE    GOSPELS. 

At  a  marriage  feast  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  Christ  works 
His  1st  miracle,  changing  water  into  wine,  at  once  a  gracious 
leave-taking  of  His  old  home  life,  and  a  figure  of  the  better 
covenant  He  would  bring  in.  The  disciples  believe.  His 
first  visit  to  Capernaum.     John  ii.  1-12. 

Third  Period. 

Passover  to  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  A.D.  27  (6  months). 

Christ  revealing  Himself  to  the  World  in  Judaea. 

John  ii.  13 — iv.  42. 

"  The  Lord  shall  suddenly  come  to  His  Temple? — Mai.  iii.  1. 
"  To  the  Jew  first!' — Rom.  i.  16. 

FIRST  PASSOVER. — Third  visit  to  Jerusalem.  First 
Cleansing  oj  the  Temple  by  Christ,  as  a  Reformer  urging 
amendment,  to  prepare  it  for  His  first  preaching  there  (comp. 
p.  269).  In  answer  to  the  first  demand  for  a  sign,  He  gives 
the  Temple  as  representing  His  body,  and  makes  a  first 
mysterious  allusion  to  His  death  and  resurrection  (see  Matt. 
xxvi.  61,  xxvii.  40,  63).  He  works  many  miracles  and 
many  Jews  believe.     John  ii.  13-25. 

At  Jerusalem,  to  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrin,  the  Rabbi 
Nicodemus,  He  utters  His  First  Discourse  about  the  Birth 
from  Above,  one  of  the  clearest  proclamations  of  His  Divine 
nature  and  mission,  containing  the  whole  gospel  in  epitome, 
and  including  a  second  mysterious  allusion  to  His  Passion. 
John  iii.  1-21. 

In  the  land  of  Judaea,  His  disciples  baptize,  and  large 
numbers  come  to  Him.  John's  third  testimony  to  Jesus  as  the 
Messiah,  at  iFnon.  John  iii.  22-36.  Westcott  regards  w.  16-21 
and  31-36  as  comments  by  the  Evangelist. 

At  Sychar,  to  a  Samaritan  woman,  Jesus  utters  His 
Second  Discourse  about  the  Living  Water,  and  makes 
the  first  distinct  avowal  that  He  is  the  Messiah.  Many 
Samaritans  believe  and  acknowledge  Him  as  the  Saviour 
of  the  world.     John  iv.  1-42. 

Note. — Taking  John  iv.  35  literally,  Christ  must  have  been  eight 
or  nine  months  in  Judaea,  and  only  three  or  four  in  Galilee.  But  John 
iv.  3,  45  suggests  that  the  Passover  of  27  was  still  recent  when  He  left 


FOURTH  PERIOD.  255 

Judaea,  and  the  events  in  Galilee  before  the  Passover  of  28  must  have 
occupied  at  least  six  months.  It  may  therefore  be  merely  a  familiar 
proverb  expressing  the  interval  between  seed-time  and  harvest.  The 
inference  from  John  vii.  II,  that  He  was  usually  at  Jerusalem  for  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles,  determines  the  date  here  given. 

Fourth  Period. 

Tabernacles  A.D.  27  to  Passover  A.D.  28  (6  months). 

Christ  revealing  Himself  to  the  World  in 
Galilee. 

Matt.  iv.  12-24,  viii.  2-4,  14-17,  ix.  2-34,  xiv.  3-5  ;  Mark 
i.  14— ii.  22,  v.  22-43,  vi.  17-20  ;  Luke  iii.  19,  20,  iv.  14 — v.  ; 
viii.  41-56  ;  John  iv.  43-54. 

"  In  the  latter  time  hath  He  made  the  land  of  Zebulun  and 
tJie  land  of  Naphtali  glorious" — Isa.  ix.  1  (R.V.). 
"Jesus,  who  went  about  doing  good." — Acts  x.  38. 

Imprisonment  of  John  the  Baptist  in  Castle  Machaerus 
on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea.  Matt.  xiv.  3-5  ; 
Mark  vi.  17-20;  Luke  iii.  19,  20. 

At  Cana,  2nd  miracle,  healing  of  fever  the  son  of  a  noble- 
man (possibly  Chuza).  The  first  Christian  household. 
Matt.  iv.  12  ;  John  iv.  43~54-  Westcott  refers  John  iv.  44  to 
Judaea,  not  Galilee.     Comp.  John  ii.  24,  25. 

On  a  Sabbath  in  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth,  Jesus 
preaches,  and  for  the  second  time  declares  Himself  the 
Messiah  in  His  First  Sermon.  First  open  opposition 
from  His  fellow-citizens,  who  seek  to  kill'  Him.  Luke  iv. 
14-30. 

He  begins  to  dwell  at  Capernaum,  and  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  the  mixed  race  of  Galileans,  "  the  lost  sheep  of 
the  house  of  Israel."     Matt.  iv.  13-17  ;  Mark  i.  14,  15. 

By  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  Peter,  Andrew,  James,  and  John 
receive  their  second  and  final  call,  and  Peter  prays  to  Christ 
as  to  God.  First  miraculous  draught  of  fishes  (3rd  miracle). 
Matt.  iv.  18-22  ;  Mark  i.  16-20  ;  Luke  v.  1-11. 

A  Great  Sabbath  at  Capernaum,  "  a  day  of  faith."— 
In  the  Synagogue,  4th  miracle ,  a  demonaic  healed  (over- 
coming passion),  and  tyh  miracle,  Peter's  mother-in-law 
healed  (overcoming  disease).    Many  others  healed.    Demons 


256  THE   GOSPELS. 

acknowledge  Jesus  as  Messiah,  Son  of  God,  and  Holy  One 
of  God.     Matt  viii.  14-17  ;  Mark  i.  21-34  ;  Luke  iv.  31-41. 

First  Circuit  through  Galilee  after  solitary 
prayer. — Multitudes  seek  Him  and  come  to  Him,  and  great 
numbers  are  healed.  Matt.  iv.  23,  24  ;  Mark  i.  35-9;  Luke 
iv.  42-4. 

In  a  certain  city,  6th  miracle,  a  leper  cleansed  (overcoming 
pollution).  Multitudes  come  to  hear  and  to  be  healed. 
Christ  retires  for  solitary  prayer.  Matt.  viii.  2-4  ;  Mark  i. 
40-45  ;  Luke  v.  12-16. 

At  Capernaum,  Jth  miracle,  a  paralytic  healed  (over- 
coming weakness).  Christ's  Divine  claim  to  forgive  sins 
leads  to  a  second  opposition,  from  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees 
(comp.  Luke  vii.  49  ;  Matt.  xxvi.  65),  and  a  first  accusation 
of  blasphemy.    Matt.  ix.  2-8  ;  Mark  ii.  1-12  ;  Luke  v.  17-26. 

By  the  Lake,  He  teaches  the  multitude  who  resort  to 
Him,  and  calls  Matthew,  who  in  Capernaum  shortly  after 
gives  a  farewell  feast  to  his  friends,  at  which  Christ  teaches 
the  universality  of  the  gospel,  anticipates  His  teaching  by 
parables  in  two  vivid  similitudes,  and  makes  a  third  allusion 
to  His  departure.  Third  and  four -th  oppositions  from  the 
Pharisees  (comp.  Luke  xv.  1  ;  Matt.  xi.  19),  because  He 
received  sinners  and  did  not  enforce  fasting.  Matt.  ix. 
9-17  ;  Mark  ii.  14-22  ;  Luke  v.  27-39. 

On  the  same  day,  8th  and  gth  miracles,  a  diseased  woman 
healed  and  the  only  daughter  of  Jairus  raised  from  the  bed 
of  death  (overcoming  death).  Matt.  ix.  18-26;  Mark  v. 
22-43  \  -Luke  viii.  41-56. 

\oth  and  nth  miracles,  two  blind  men  who  acknowledge 
Jesus  as  Son  of  David  and  a  dumb  demoniac  healed 
(overcoming  loss  of  faculties).  Fifth  opposition  from  the 
Pharisees  (comp.  Matt.  xii.  24),  and  first  suggestion  of  aid 
from  Beelzebub.     Matt.  ix.  27-34. 

Note. — All  the  typical  miracles  of  healing  wrought  by  our  Lord  are 
represented  in  this  Period,  and  five  forms  of  opposition,  recurring 
hereafter  more  vehemently,  are  illustrated. 


FIFTH  PERIOD.  257 

Fifth  Period. 
Passover  to  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  A.D.  28  (6  months). 

Christ  in  conflict  with  the  World.  From  the 
First  Sabbath  Controversy  with  the  Pharisees 
to  their  open  and  blasphemous  Rejection  of  Him. 

Matt.  iv.  25— viii.  1,  viii.  5-13,  x.  2-4,  xi.  2-19,  xii. ;  Mark 
ii.  23 — iii.  ;  Luke  vi.  1 — viii.  3,  19-21,  xi.  14 — xii.  12; 
John  v. 

"  They  that  seek  after  my  life  lay  snares  for  vie!' — Psalm 
xxxviii.  12. 

"  Consider  Him  that  hath  endured  such  gainsaying  of 
sinners." — Heb.  xii.  3. 

SECOND  PASSOVER.— Fourth  visit  to  Jerusalem.  At  the 
pool  of  Bethesda,  \2th  miracle,  a  man  impotent  for  38 
years  healed  on  the  Sabbath.  Brought,  it  seems,  before  the 
Sanhedrin,and  accused  of  Sabbath-breaking  and  blasphemy, 
Jesus  claims  to  be  Son  of  God  and  Son  of  Man,  and  the 
Prophet  whom  Moses  foretold  ;  assumes  God's  highest 
attributes,  lays  bare  their  worldliness  and  blindness,  and 
declares  that  not  only  the  Baptist  and  His  own  works,  but 
Moses,  and  the  Scriptures,  and  God  Himself,  all  that  they 
most  professed  to  honour,  bear  witness  to  Him.  Henceforth 
the  Pharisees  seek  to  kill  Him,  \ti\s  first  deliberate  Jiostility 
from  them  fixes  His  doom,  and  He  leaves  Jerusalem 
probably  for  18  months.     John  v. 

On  a  Sabbath  shortly  after  the  Passover,  in  the  cornfields 
near  Capernaum,  Christ  vindicates  the  Law  from  super- 
stition, declaring  Himself  greater  than  the  Temple;  and  on 
another  Sabbath,  in  the  synagogue  at  Capernaum,  heals  a 
man  with  a  withered  hand  (13th  miracle).  Because  He  thus 
protests  against  the  perversion  of  a  divinely  given  benefit  into 
a  burden,  the  Nationalist  party  of  the  Pharisees  and  the  Ro- 
manising party  of  the  Herodians  consult  together  for  His  de- 
struction.   Matt.  xii.  1-14  ;  Mark  ii.  23 — iii.  6  ;  Luke  vi.  1-1 1. 

By  the  Lake,  great  multitudes  follow  Him,  and  many 
are  healed.  Demons  again  acknowledge  Him  the  Son  of 
God.     Matt.  xii.  15-21  ;  Mark  iii.  7-12. 

After  solitary  prayer,  He  appoints  twelve  of  His  disciples 

17 


258  THE   GOSPELS. 

Apostles  :  viz.,  two  sons  of  Jonah,  Simon  surnamed  Cephas 
or  Peter,  and  Andrew  ;  two  sons  of  Zebedee  and  Salome, 
fames  and  John,  both  surnamed  Boanerges  (all  four  fisher- 
men) ;  and  Philip  (all  five  of  Bethsaida)  ;  Nathanael,  or 
Bartholomew  {i.e.,  son  of  Tolmai) ;  three  (or  four  ?)  sons 
of  Alphaeus  and  Mary,  Matthew  or  Levi,  the  taxgather, 
Thomas  or  Didymus,/^//^,  and  Judas  surnamed  Lebbaeus 
or  Thaddaeus,  son  (or  brother  ?)  of  James  (all  five  of  Cana)  ; 
Simon  the  Cananaean  or  Zealot  {i.e.,  follower  of  Judas  of 
Giscala,  and  therefore  a  Jew  of  the  strictest  and  most 
patriotic  type),  and  Judas  son  of  Simon.  The  surname 
Iscariot  {i.e.,  of  Kerioth  in  Judaea)  may  belong  (John  vi.  71, 
R.V.)  to  both  these  two  last.  Matt.  x.  2-4  ;  Mark  iii. 
13-19  ;  Luke  vi.  12-16. 

Having  thus  laid  the  foundations  of  His  Church,  Christ 
utters  on  Kurn  Hattin,  the  mountain  by  the  Lake  of 
Galilee,  the  SERMON  ON  THE  MOUNT,  its  new  Law, 
"  the  Magna  Charta  of  our  faith."  Summary : — {a)  The 
Citizens  of  the  Kingdom.  (1)  Their  character  in  nine 
Beatitudes  ;  showing  that  true  blessedness  lies  in  what  we 
are,  not  in  what  we  have  (Luke  xii.  1 5) ;  (2)  Their  influence, 
to  preserve  and  to  guide.  (b)  The  New  Law  as  a  fulfilment 
of  the  Old  Law,  both  generally  and  specially,  (c)  The 
New  Life.  (1)  Its  acts  of  devotion  ;  (2)  Its  aims  ;  (3)  Its 
conduct;  (4)  Its  dangers,  {d)  The  Great  Contrast,  described 
in  the  \st  parable  of  the  Two  Foundations,  Matt.  iv.  25 
— viii.  1  ;  Luke  vi.  17-49. 

In  Capernaum,  14th  miracle,  Christ  heals  of  paralysis 
the  servant  of  a  Roman  centurion,  already  a  proselyte  to 
Judaism,  who  becomes  the  first  Gentile  believer,  and  whose 
faith  Christ  specially  commends.  Matt.  viii.  5-13;  Luke 
vii.  1-10. 

At  Nain,  i$th  miracle,  He  raises  a  widow's  only  son 
from  the  bier,  and  is  recognised  as  a  great  Prophet. 
Luke  vii.  11-16. 

In  answer  to  the  Baptist's  question,  He  appeals  to  His 
miracles  as  proofs  that  He  is  the  Coming  One  of  prophecy, 
and  bears  witness  to  His  Forerunner.  Matt.  xi.  2-19; 
Luke  vii.  17-35. 

At  Capernaum,  in  a  Pharisee's  house,  a  sinful  woman 
bears  witness  to  Jesus  as  the  Messiah  by  solemnly  anoint- 


SIXTH  PERIOD.  259 

ing  Him.  His  forgiveness  of  her  rouses  fresh  opposition 
from  the  Pharisees,  stimulated  by  the  recent  organisation 
of  His  followers,  and  the  growing  enthusiasm  of  the  people. 
2nd  parable  of  the  Two  Debtors.     Luke  vii.  36-50. 

Second  Circuit  through  Galilee. — The  first  Chris- 
tian sisterhood.    Luke  viii.  1-3. 

A  Great  Day  of  Conflict  at  Capernaum. — 16th 
miracle  y  blind  and  dumb  demoniac  healed.  The  people 
are  ready  to  acknowledge  Jesus  as  Son  of  David,  but  the 
Pharisees  and  Scribes  from  Jerusalem  affirm  that  He 
works  miracles  through  Beelzebub,  and  choose  darkness 
for  their  portion  by  this  deliberate  and  conscious  enmity. 
Hitherto  Christ  had  avoided  open  collision  with  the  reli- 
gious leaders  of  the  people.  Now  He  passes  from  self- 
defence  to  rebuke,  shows  that  His  power  is  at  once  superior 
to  and  contrary  to  Satan,  that  the  old  demon  of  idolatry 
had  only  given  place  to  new  demons  of  self-righteous 
unbelief,  and  warns  them  that  their  wilful  rejection  of  the 
revelation  of  His  presence  and  power  would  be  sin  against 
the  Holy  Ghost  (1  Cor.  xii.  3),  and  therefore  unpardonable. 
In  answer  to  the  second  demand  for  a  sign  He  gives  Jonah, 
making  ^fourtJi  allusion  to  His  death  and  resurrection,  and 
declaring  Himself  greater  than  Jonah  or  Solomon.  Matt, 
xii.  22-45  5  Mark  iii.  20-30  ;  Luke  ix.  14-36. 

Interruption  and  interference  from  His  mother  and 
brethren  (probably  the  children  of  Joseph's  first  marriage) 
leads  Him  to  expound  the  difference  between  natural  and 
spiritual  kindred.  Matt.  xii.  46-50;  Mark  iii.  31-5  ;  Luke 
viii.  19-21. 

Dining  afterwards  with  one  of  the  Pharisees,  He  first 
calls  them  hypocrites,  utters  His  first  great  declaration  of 
a  triple  zvoe  upon  them,  and  referring  to  the  national  treat- 
ment of  all  God's  messengers,  makes  a  fifth  allusion  to  His 
departure.  The  Pharisees  vehemently  seek  to  ensnare  Him, 
and  in  presence  of  a  great  multitude  He  teaches  His 
disciples  to  fear  God  only.     Luke  xi.  $J — xii.  12. 

Note. — Sowing  began  in  October,  when  the  early  rains  ended  the 
long  summer  drought,  and  recalled  the  husbandman  to  the  plough. 
Hence  the  multitude  of  Luke  viii.  4,  xii.  1,  may  have  been  pilgrims  to 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  and  the  Twelve  were  probably  sent  forth  as 
soon  as  the  people  had  returned  home.  These  are  the  only  indications 
of  date  to  fix  the  limits  of  this  Period. 


260  the  gospels. 

Sixth  Period. 

Tabernacles,  A.D.  28,  to  Passover,  A.D.  29  (6  months). 

Christ  in  Conflict  with  the  World.  From  the 
First  Teaching  of  the  Multitude  by  Parables  to 
the  Culmination  of  His  Popularity  and  Large 
Defection  of  His  Followers. 

Matt.  viii.  18 — ix.  1,  ix.  35 — xi.  1,  xiii.  1 — xiv.  1,  2, 
6-36  ;  Mark  iv.  1 — v.  21,  vi.  1- 16,  21-55  ;  Luke  viii.  4-18, 
22-40,  ix.    1-17;  John  vi. 

"  /  will  ope?i  my  mouth  i?i  a  parable!' — Psalm  lxxviii.  2. 
"  A  man  approved  of  God  unto  you  by  mighty  works  and 
wonders  and  signs? — Acts  ii.  22. 

A  Great  Day  of  Parables.— From  a  boat  on  the 
Lake,  Christ  utters  five  and  in  the  house  afterwards  three 
parables  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  :  viz.,  (a)  The  Sower 
(its  origin  from  God),  (b)  The  Secret  GrowtJi  (its  unper- 
ceived  progress),  (c)  The  Tares  (its  counterfeit  by  the 
devil),  (d)  The  Mustard  Seed  (its  progress  in  outward 
extent),  (e)  The  Leaven  (its  progress  in  inward  influence). 
(/)  The  Hid  Treasure  (the  kingdom  as  a  gift  from 
Heaven  to  men).  (g)  The  Merchant  seeking  Pearls  (as 
a  power  in  the  individual).  (Ji)  The  Drag  Net  (as  a 
wide  working  instrument  among  men  leading  to  the  final 
separation  between  good  and  evil).  Matt.  xiii.  1-53  ;  Mark 
iv.  1-34  ;  Luke  viii.  4-18. 

Just  as  He  is  about  to  cross  the  Lake,  He  answers  two 
aspirants  to  discipleship,  suggesting  what  is  involved  in 
following  Him.     Matt.  viii.  18-22. 

On  the  Lake  He  calms  a  great  storm  (ijth  miracle).  In 
the  country  of  the  Gerasenes  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the 
Lake,  He  heals  a  savage  demoniac,  who  acknowledges 
Him  the  Son  of  God,  and  sends  him  as  a  missionary  to 
his  own  people  in  Decapolis  (iSth  miracle).  The  per- 
mission given  to  the  legion  of  demons  to  enter  some  swine, 
stirs  up  the  first  popular  opposition  to  Christ.  Matt.  viii. 
23 — ix.  1  ;  Mark  iv.  35 — v.  21  ;  Luke  viii.  22 — 40. 

Nazareth  rejects  Christ  for  the  second  time.  Matt.  xiii. 
54-8;  Mark  vi.  1-6. 

Third  Circuit  through  Galilee.— He  sends  forth 
the    'Twelve  Apostles   to  the  Twelve  Tribes  of  Israel   to 


SIXTH  PERIOD.  261 

proclaim  the  kingdom  of  heaven  as  the  first  Missionaries 
of  His  Gospel,  thus  converting  followers  into  fellow-workers  ; 
and  gives  them  the  first  Pastoral  Charge  concerning  the 
extent  and  character  of  their  mission  ;  their  conduct  and 
responsibility  ;  and  the  inevitable  persecution  and  un- 
failing reward  of  His  messengers  in  all  future  ages.  The 
reference  to  His  coming  again  and  the  first  mysterious 
mention  of  the  Cross  form  a  twofold  sixth  allusion  to  His 
departure.  He  then  continues  His  own  circuit.  Matt.  ix. 
35— xi.  1  ;  Mark  vi.  6-13  ;  Luke  ix.  1-6. 

At  Machaerus  (or  in  the  palace  at  Julias),  Herod's  Feast 
takes  place,  leading  to  the  martyrdom  (after  at  least  18 
months'  imprisonment)  of  the  Baptist.  Matt.  xiv.  1,  2, 
6-12  ;  Mark  vi.  14-16,  21-29  5  Luke  ix.  7-9. 

Shortly  before  the  THIRD  Passover,  at  Bethsaida  Julias 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Lake,  whither  He  has  retired  with 
the  Apostles  newly  returned  from  their  mission,  Christ 
feeds  more  than  5000  people  (igth  miracle,  the  only  one 
recorded  in  all  the  Gospels).  They  acknowledge  Him  as 
the  Prophet  foretold  by  Moses,  and  attempt  to  make  Him 
King  by  force.  He  retires  for  solitary  prayer,  and  meets 
His  disciples  on  their  way  to  the  western  shore,  walking 
on  the  sea  {20th  miracle).  They  acknowledge  Him  Son 
of  God,  and  at  Capernaum  a  great  multitude  gather  round 
Him  to  be  taught.  Many  are  healed.  Matt.  xiv.  13-36; 
Mark  vi.  30-55  ;  Luke  ix.  10-17;  John  vi.  1-24. 

In  the  synagogue  at  Capernaum,  Christ's  Feast  leads  to 
His  most  profound  teaching  about  spiritual  life.  Answer- 
ing the  third  demand  for  a  sign,  in  a  twofold  sermon  to  the 
multitude  (v.  26-40)  and  to  the  Pharisees  (v.  41-59),  He 
declares  Himself  the  true  Bread  of  Life  from  Heaven, 
whose  flesh  would  be  given  for  the  life  of  the  world,  the 
first  clear  public  allusion  to  His  Passion.  He  has  thus 
made  His  most  unreserved  public  declaration  of  His  char- 
acter and  claims,  calling  on  men  to  believe  not  merely  in 
His  words,  but  on  Him  ;  and  this  demonstration  of  the 
spiritual  character  of  His  Kingdom  results  in  a  great 
winnowing  of  His  disciples,  the  first  instance  of  the  offence 
of  the  Cross.  Many  depa7't  from  Him,  but  Peter  in  the 
name  of  the  Twelve  confesses  Him  the  Holy  One  of  God. 
For  the  first  time  He  refers  to  Iscariot's  treachery.  John  vi. 
25-71. 


262  the  gospels. 

Seventh  Period. 
Passover  to  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  A.D.  29  (6  months). 

Christ  revealing  Himself  to  His  Disciples  in 
outlying  Heathen  Regions. 

Matt,  xv.— xviii.  ;  Mark  vi.    55— ix. ;  Luke   ix.    18-50; 
John  vii.  1. 

"  /  will  also  give  thee  for  a  light  to  the  Gentiles!' — Isa. 
xlix.  6. 

"  We  were  eye-witnesses  of  His  majesty  .  .  .  in  the  holy 
mount." — 2  Peter  i.  16,  18. 

Fourth  and  Final  Circuit  through  Galilee  — 
Mark  vi.   55,  56;  John  vii.   I. 

In  answer  to  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  who  came  as 
spies  from  Jerusalem  to  discredit  Him  with  the  Galileans, 
Christ  shows  how  their  tradition  had  perverted  the  Law, 
abolishes  caste,  and  anticipates  the  abrogation  of  Mosaic 
ceremonialism.  Matt.  xv.  1-20 ;  Mark  vii.  1-23.  (With 
Mark  vii.  19,  R.V.,  compare  Acts  x.) 

Departing  to  Phoenicia,  in  consequence  of  their  malig- 
nant hostility,  He  is  acknowledged  as  Son  of  David  by  the 
first  believer  from  heathendom,  a  Canaanite  by  birth,  a 
Greek  by  language,  and  a  Roman  citizen  by  position,  so 
representing  the  three  most  influential  peoples  of  the  Pagan 
world.  He  tests  and  then  commends  her  rare  faith  (Gal. 
iii.  7,  9),  end  heals  her  demon-vexed  daughter  (21st  miracle). 
Matt.  xv.  21-28  ;  Mark  vii.  24-30. 

In  Decapolis,  a  half-heathen  region  between  Damascus 
and  Jabbok,  He  heals  a  deaf  man  (22nd  miracle),  and  many 
others,  and  is  followed  by  a  great  multitude  (comp.  Mark 
v.  20),  4000  of  whom  He  feeds  (23rd miracle).  They  glorify 
the  God  of  Israel.     Matt.  xv.  29-38  ;  Mark  vii.  31— viii.  9. 

On  His  return  to  the  western  shore  of  the  Lake  at  Dal- 
manutha,  the  Pharisees,  in  ominous  coalition  with  the 
Sadducees  who  now  oppose  Him  for  the  first  time,  make  a 
fourth  demand  for  a  sign.  In  His  last  public  teaching  in 
Galilee,  He  again  gives  them  the  sign  of  Jonah,  type  of  His 
death  and  resurrection   {eighth  allusion),  and   warns    His 


SEVENTH  PERIOD.  263 

disciples  against  their  hypocrisy.     Matt.  xv.  39 — xvi.  12  ; 
Mark  viii.  10-21. 

Crossing  the  Lake  again,  at  Bethsaida  Julias  He  heals  a 
blind  man  (24///  miracle).    Mark  viii.  22-6. 

At  Csesarea  Philippi,  a  great  centre  of  heathen  worship, 
after  He  has  prayed,  His  teaching  and  the  Apostles'  faith 
culminate  in  Peter  s  great  Confession  of  Him  as  Messiah, 
Son  of  the  Living  God.  Solemnly  ratifying  it,  Christ 
makes  first  mention  of  His  Church,  and  lays  the  corner- 
stone of  the  New  Society  on  this  fundamental  truth, 
promising  Peter  the  privilege  of  being  the  first  to  proclaim  it 
both  to  Jew  and  Gentile.  (See  Acts  ii.,  x.)  This  is  followed 
by  the  first  clear  propliecy  of  His  death  and  resurrection  at 
Jerusalem  to  the  Twelve,  and  a  second  mysterious  mention 
of  the  Cross.  Matt.  xvi.  13-28  ;  Mark  viii.  27 — ix.  1  ; 
Luke  ix.   18-27. 

One  night  a  week  later  on  Mount  Hermon,  as  He  prays, 
Christ's  revelation  of  Himself  culminates  in  the  vision  of 
His  Glory  given  to  Peter,  James,  and  John.  The  two 
greatest  representatives  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  are 
in  converse  with  Him  concerning  His  death,  and  a  Second 
Voice  from  Heaven,  heard  by  the  three  Apostles,  proclaims 
Him  God's  beloved  and  chosen  Son.  Second  clear  prophecy 
of  His  sufferings.  Identification  of  the  Baptist  with  Elijah. 
At  the  foot  of  the  Mount,  He  preaches  faith  as  the  only 
source  of  strength,  and  heals  an  epileptic  boy  (2$th  miracle} 
Matt.  xvii.  1-2 1  ;  Mark  ix.  2-29  ;  Luke  ix.  28-43. 

During  a  farewell  secret  journey  through  Galilee,  He 
utters  the  third  clear  prophecy  of  His  betrayal,  death,  and 
resurrection.     Matt.  xvii.  22,  23  ;  Mark  ix.  30-32  ;  Luke  ix. 

43-5. 

At  Capernaum,  He  provides  the  half-shekel  tribute 
(Exod.  xxxviii.  26)  for  Himself  and  Peter,  but  while  thus 
teaching  obedience,  shows  Himself  Lord  of  the  Temple, 
Son  of  the  King  of  Kings,  and  Ruler  over  creation  (26th 
miracle}.  He  teaches  His  disciples  concerning  humility, 
stumbling-blocks  for  others,  and  unselfishness,  rebuking 
the  selfish  ambition  and  rivalry  which  the  Twelve  begin  to 
display  ;  fixes  the  extent  and  limit  of  toleration  ;  and  in 
the  nth  parable  of  the  Merciless  Servant  exacting  a  debt 
1,250,000  times  smaller  than  the  one  he  had  been  forgiven, 


264  THE  GOSPELS. 

explains  the  Christian  law  of  forgiveness.  Incidentally,  He 
again  refers  to  Himself  as  the  Messiah.  Matt.  xvii.  24 — 
xviii.  35  ;  Mark  ix.  33-50  ;  Luke  ix.  46-50. 

Eighth  Period. 

Tabernacles,  A.D.  29,  to  Passover,  A.D.  30  (6  months). 

Christ  revealing  Himself  to  His  Disciples 
journeying  towards  jerusalem.  final  rejection 
by  Jerusalem,  Samaria,  and  Galilee. 

Matt.  xi.  20-30,  xix.,  xx.;  Mark  x.;  Luke  ix.  51 — xi.  13, 
xii.  13 — xix.  28  ;  John  vii.  2 — xi. 

"  Who  hath  believed  our  report  ?" — Isa.  lift.  I. 

"  Preaching  good  tidings  of  peace  by  Jesus  Christ  {He  is 
Lord  of  ally— Acts  x.  36. 

Christ  refuses  to  go  publicly  to  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles, 
but  secretly  pays  His  Fifth  visit  to  Jerusalem,  and  in  the 
midst  of  their  talk  concerning  Him  in  the  Temple,  vindi- 
cates His  Sabbath  miracles,  and  declares  that  He  is  sent 
by  God.  Much  discussion  as  to  whether  He  is  the  Messiah. 
At  the  close  of  the  Feast,  He  utters  His  great  promise 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  with  a  \2th  allusion  to  His  departure 
whither  they  could  not  find  Him.  Unsuccessful  attempt 
to  arrest  Him,  and  division  among  the  people  and  in  the 
Sanhedrin.     John  vii.  2-52. 

Teaching  in  the  Temple  next  morning,  He  defeats  a 
base  plot  by  the  Pharisees  to  ensnare  Him,  and  compels 
these  self-righteous  religionists  to  condemn  themselves, 
while  He  exercises  the  Divine  prerogative  of  forgiveness. 
In  the  Treasury,  He  declares  Himself  the  Light  of  the 
World,  and  the  great  object  of  faith  to  the  multitude,  many 
of  whom  believe.  Then  He  analyses  the  unbelief  of  the 
Jews,  showing  Himself  the  Son  of  God,  and  discriminating 
children  of  Abraham  through  faith  from  children  of  the 
devil  through  unbelief.  After  the  13th  and  14th  allusions 
to  His  departure  whither  they  could  not  find  Him,  and  to 
the  lifting  up  of  the  Son  of  Ma7i,  He  closes  the  discussion 
by  claiming  for  Himself  the  absolute  sinlessness  which  He 
elsewhere  attributes  to  God  only  (Luke  xviii.  19),  and 
assuming  the  great  name  I   Am.     They  violently  oppose 


EIGHTH  PERIOD.  265 

Him,  making  a  first  attempt  to  stone  Him.  John  vii.  53 — 
viii.  59. 

As  He  begins  His  last  solemn  progress  towards  Jerusalem 
(see  p.  247),  He  is  rejected  by  a  Samaritan  village,  and 
shows  how  His  mission  differs  from  that  of  Elijah.  Luke 
ix.  51-6. 

At  another  Samaritan  village,  He  heals  ten  lepers  {27th 
miracle),  and  accepts  the  faith  of  one.     Luke  xvii.  11-19. 

He  crosses  Jordan  into  Peraea,  followed  by  multitudes. 
Matt.  xix.  1,  2  ;  Mark  x.  1. 

After  giving  three  illustrations  of  the  sacrifices  of  true 
discipleship,  He  sends  forth  the  Seventy  Disciples,  whose 
number  is  typical  of  the  seventy  nations  of  the  earth 
reckoned  by  the  Jews,  to  preach  the  coming  of  God's 
kingdom,  especially  to  the  heathen  of  the  outlying  districts. 
He  receives  the  tidings  of  their  success  with  joy  and 
thanksgiving,  declaring  Himself  the  Son  of  God,  and  utter- 
ing a  terrible  woe  on  the  highly  favoured  scenes  of  His 
chief  teaching  which  had  now  utterly  rejected  Him,  followed 
by  an  invitation  to  the  weary  and  heavy  laden  of  the  whole 
world.     Luke  ix.  57 — x.  24  ;  Matt.  xi.  20-30. 

A  lawyer's  tempting  question  leads  to  the  \2tJ1  parable 
of  the  Good  Samaritan,  teaching  the  brotherhood  of  all 
men,  and  showing  Christ  as  the  minister  of  mercy  when 
law  and  sacrifice  had  failed.  At  Bethany  on  Olivet,  He 
visits  Martha  and  Mary,  and  teaches  concerning  the  one 
thing  needful.  After  praying  in  a  certain  place,  He  teaches 
His  disciples  the  Lord's  Prayer  as  the  model  of  all 
prayer,  and  in  the  13///  parable  of  the  Friend  at  Midnight 
enforces  prayer  as  the  chief  means  of  grace.  Luke  x.  25 — 
xi.  13. 

In  answer  to  an  ill-judged  request,  Christ  shows  the  folly 
and  sin  of  covetousness  in  the  14th  parable  of  the  Rich 
Fool\  and  discourses  concerning  God's  providence,  illus- 
trates watchfulness  by  the  \$th  parable  of  the  Servants 
waiting  for  their  Lord,  makes  a  15th  allusion  to  the  Passion 
as  His  baptism  of  suffering,  and  closes  with  the  \6th 
parable  of  the  Barren  Fig-tree,  on  the  coming  judgments 
of  God.     Luke  xii.  13 — xiii.  9. 

In  a  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath,  He  heals  an  infirm 
woman    (2W1    miracle),  rousing   an    utterly   unreasonable 


266  THE   GOSPELS. 

opposition,  but  shaming  all  His  adversaries.  Discourse  on 
the  way  to  Jerusalem  concerning  the  Narrow  Door,  and  the 
universality  and  spirituality  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
Message  to  Herod,  first  prediction  of  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem, 
and  16th  allusion  to  His  death  as  taking  place  there.     Luke 

xiii.  10-35. 

In  the  house  of  a  chief  Pharisee  on  the  Sabbath,  He 
heals  a  dropsical  man  (29th  miracle),  and  rebukes  struggles 
for  precedence  in  the  17  th  parable  of  the  Great  Supper, 
showing  how  the  last  are  made  first     Luke  xiv.  1-24. 

Surrounded  by  great  multitudes,  He  bids  them  count  the 
cost  of  discipleship,  making  a  third  me7ition  of  the  Cross, 
in  the  parables  of  the  Unfinished  Tower  and  the  Prudent 
King.  Parables,  in  answer  to  Pharisees  murmuring,  of  the 
Lost  Sheep  (the  guileless  wanderer  from  the  Church),  the 
Lost  Drachma  (the  lost  slumberer  in  the  Church),  and  the 
Prodigal  Son  (the  wilful  apostate  from  the  Church),  testi- 
fying the  free  mercy  to  men  of  God  the  Son,  God  the 
Spirit  working  through  the  Church,  and  God  the  Father. 
Parables  of  the  Provident  Steward  (reproof  of  worldliness 
and  covetousness),  of  Dives  and  Lazarus  (closing  with  an 
allusion  to  His  resurrection  from  the  dead),  and  of  the 
Unprofitable  Servants.  General  lessons  of  forbearance,  for- 
giveness, faith,  and  humility.     Luke  xiv.  25— xvii.  10. 

In  answer  to  the  Pharisees,  He  shows  the  character  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  utters  to  the  disciples  a  fourth 
clear  prophecy  of  His  sufferings  and  rejection,  speaking  of 
His  Second  Coming.  26th  and  27th  parables  of  the  Im- 
portunate Widow  and  of  the  Pharisee  and  Publican.  Luke 
xvii.  20 — xviii.  14. 

In  answer  to  an  ensnaring  question  by  the  Pharisees,  He 
shows  the  provisional  character  of  the  Mosaic  legislation 
and  enunciates  the  Christian  law  of  marriage.  Matt.  xix. 
3-12  ;  Mark  x.  2-12. 

He  welcomes  and  blesses  little  children,  and  shows  the 
young  ruler,  a  half-hearted  rich  man,  that  God  claims  us 
and  ours  wholly,  making  a  fourth  mention  of  the  Cross. 
Further  discourse  with  the  disciples  concerning  riches  leads 
to  the  2§th parable  of  the  Labourers  in  the  Vineyard,  show- 
ing that  in  Heaven  there  are  no  struggles  for  precedence  ; 
and  that  God  looks  at  the  quality  not  the  quantity  of  our 


EIGHTH  PERIOD.  267 

services  ;  not  at  what  we  do,  but  at  what  we  are,  neither  to 
ourselves  nor  to  the  world,  but  in  His  own  sight.  Matt. 
xix.  13 — xx.  16;  Mark  x.  13-31  ;  Luke  xviii.  15-30. 

In  December,  Feast  of  Dedication,  Sixth  visit  to  Jeru- 
salem. On  the  Sabbath  day,  after  a  21st  allusion  to  the 
coining  night  when  He  could  work  no  longer,  Christ  heals 
a  man  born  blind  {$oth  miracle),  who  becomes  the  first  con- 
fessor of  Christ  to  his  cost  and  the  first  conscious  sufferer 
for  His  sake.  To  him  Christ  clearly  reveals  Himself  as 
the  Son  of  God.  The  new  congregation  and  new  spiritual 
Temple  of  which  he  is  a  type  are  described  in  the  Parabolic 
Discourse  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  wherein  Christ  clearly  and 
publicly  foretells  His  voluntary  death,  in  terms  implying  His 
Resurrection.     John  ix. — x.  18. 

In  Solomon's  Porch,  answering  an  impetuous  appeal 
from  the  divided  people  concerning  His  Messiahship,  He 
appeals  to  His  work  as  its  proof  and  declares  Himself  one 
with  God.     Second  attempt  to  stone  Him.     John  x.  19-39. 

He  retires  to  Bethany  beyond  Jordan,  and  the  many 
(probably  former  disciples  of  the  Baptist)  who  there  believe 
constitute  His  last  large  following.     John  x.  40-42. 

At  Bethany  on  Olivet,  after  prayer,  He  raises  Lazarus, 
dead  four  days,  from  the  grave  (31^  miracle),  in  this 
crowning  miracle  proclaiming  His  absolute  power  over 
death  ere  He  submits  to  it.  Martha  confesses  Him  Messiah 
and  Son  of  God.  Thereupon  the  Sanhedrin,  in  which  the 
Sadducaean  party  predominates,  close  the  long  controversy 
by  formally  determining  on  His  death.  He  retires  to 
Ephraim,  near  Bethel,  with  His  disciples.     John  xi.  1-54. 

On  the  final  journey  from  Ephraim  to  Jerusalem,  alone 
with  the  Twelve,  Christ  utters  the  fifth  clear  prophecy  of  His 
suffering  (quoted  Luke  xxiv.  7),  stating  that  in  fulfilment 
of  Old  Testament  prophecy  He  should  be  mocked,  scourged, 
and  crucified  by  Gentiles,  and  rise  again  the  third  day. 
Matt.  xx.  17-19  ;  Mark  x.  32-4  ;  Luke  xviii.  31-4. 

Salome's  ambitious  request  for  her  sons  is  checked  by 
the  announcement  that  He  had  come  to  give  His  life  for  a 
ransom  (24th  allusion).     Matt.  xx.  20-28  ;  Mark  x.  35-45. 

In  Jericho,  He  heals  two  blind  men,  who  acknowledge 
Him  Son  of  David  (32nd  miracle).  Matt.  xx.  29-34  ;  Mark 
x.  46-52  ;  Luke  xviii.  35-43. 


268  THE  GOSPELS. 

In  Jericho,  He  lodges,  self-invited,  with  the  tax-gatherer 
Zacchaeus,  a  whole-hearted  rich  man,  and  in  the  29th 
parable  of  the  Mince  teaches  His  departure  to  receive  a 
kingdom  and  return,  to  judge  every  man  according  to  his 
wtfr^  (comp.  34///  parable).     Luke  xix.  1-28. 

Discussion  at  Jerusalem  as  to  whether  Jesus  will  come 
for  the  Passover.     John  xi.  55-7. 

Ninth  Period. 

Nisan  9  to  16  A.D.  30  (one  week). 

The  Passion  of  Christ. 

Matt.  xxi. — xxvii.  ;  Mark  xi. — xv. ;  Luke  xix.  29 — xxiii. ; 
John  xii. — xix. 

"  The  Lord  hath  laid  on  Him  the  iniquity  of  us  all." — Isa. 
Hii.  6. 

"  Who  loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  up  for  meT — Gal.  ii.  20. 

Saturday,  March  31. — At  Bethany,  in  Simon's  house, 
Christ  accepts  Mary's  homage  as  an  anointing  to  prepare 
Him  for  burial  (26th  allusion).  Many  believe  through 
seeing  Lazarus.  Matt.  xxvi.  6-13;  Mark  xiv.  3-9;  John 
xii.  i-ii. 

SUNDAY,  April  i. — Seventh  visit  to  ferusalem.  Trium- 
phal entry  to  claim  His  heritage  and  give  the  Jews  a  final 
choice  between  accepting  or  rejecting  their  King.  The 
enthusiastic  crowd  of  provincials  receive  Him  with  accla- 
mation as  the  Son  of  David,  but  amid  their  shouts  He 
mourns  over  the  obstinate  unbelief  of  the  city  He  came  to 
deliver,  and  utters  a  second  prediction  of  its  Fall.  (Note 
that  on  this  day  the  paschal  lamb  was  chosen:  Exod.  xii.  3.) 
Matt.  xxi.  1 -1 1,  15-17;  Mark  xi.  1-11;  Luke  xix.  29-44; 
John  xii.  12-19. 

Monday,  April  2. — On  the  road  from  Bethany  to 
Jerusalem,  He  condemns  the  fig-tree  whose  unusually  early 
show  of  leaves  had  no  corresponding  promise  of  fruit.  By 
this  33r<f  miracle,  the  only  miracle  of  destruction,  He  com- 
pletes the  1 6th  parable,  symbolises  the  inevitable  ruin  of 
the  impenitent  Jews,  warns  against  hypocrisy,  and  illustrates 
the  power  of  faith.     Matt.  xxi.  18,  19;  Mark  xi.  12-14. 


NINTH  PERIOD.  269 

At  Jerusalem,  Second  Cleansing  of  the  Temple  by  Christ 
the  Priest,  as  a  Judge  pronouncing  condemnation,  to  pre- 
pare it  for  His  final  preaching  there  (comp.  p.  254).  Many 
are  healed  in  the  Temple.  Matt.  xxi.  12-14;  Mark  xi. 
15-19  ;  Luke  xix.  45-8. 

TUESDAY,  April  3. — On  the  way  into  Jerusalem  the 
fig-tree  is  found  withered.  THE  GREAT  GAINSAYINGS  IN 
THE  TEMPLE,  a  final  combined  attempt  to  ensnare  Him. 
He  meets  the  demand  of  a  formal  deputation  from  the 
Sanhedrin  "  By  what  authority  ?  "  with  an  unanswerable 
preliminary  question  ;  and  in  the  30///,  31J/,  and  32nd 
parables  of  the  Two  Sons,  the  Wicked  Husbandmen,  and 
the  Wedding  Garment  at  the  Marriage  of  the  King's  Son, 
claims  to  be  God's  last  great  Messenger  to  His  people,  and 
instructs  concerning  false  profession,  abused  privileges,  and 
lost  opportunities,  and  the  coming  blessing  for  the  Gentiles. 
The  people  still  take  Him  for  a  Prophet.  He  answers  the 
Pharisees'  and  Herodians'  test  by  showing  that  they  had 
themselves  acknowledged  Caesar  by  accepting  his  coinage  ; 
the  Sadducees'  test  by  Mosaic  proof  of  the  future  life  ;  and 
the  Lawyer's  test  by  a  perfect  summary  of  the  whole  Law. 
He  then  puts  them  all  to  silence  by  His  eounter-qujstion 
concerning  David's  Son  ;  proving  His  double  claim  to  the 
throne  of  David  and  of  God.  Matt.  xxi.  20 — xxii. ;  Mark 
xi.  20 — xii.  37  ;  Luke  xx.  1-44. 

Sevenfold  woe  foretold  to  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees 
whose  hypocrisy  made  void  the  Law  they  professed  to 
honour.  Christ  refers  to  Himself  as  Messiah,  and  by  men- 
tion of  the  one  Father,  the  one  Master,  and  the  one  Teacher 
(see  R.V.),  indicates  the  relation  of  the  whole  Trinity  to 
man,  and  closes  with  a  third  prediction  of  the  Fall  of  Jeru- 
salem. Commendation  of  a  widow,  teaching  that  the 
essence  of  charity  is  self-denial.  Matt,  xxiii.  ;  Mark  xii. 
38-44  ;  Luke  xx.  45 — xxi.  4. 

In  response  to  the  request  of  some  Greeks  (first  fruits  of 
Europe,  the  Christendom  of  the  future),  who  come  to  His 
cross  from  the  West,  as  the  Magi  came  to  His  cradle  from 
the  East,  Christ,  after  prayer,  completes  His  self-revelation 
to  the  World,  foretelling  that  when  lifted  up  He  will  draw 
all  men  to  Him.  A  Third  Voice  from  Heaven,  heard  by  the 
gathered  crowd,   confirms    His   words.       On    leaving   the 


270  THE  GOSPELS. 

Temple  finally,  He  makes  a  last  appeal  to  men  in  the 
Father's  name,  to  which  S.  John  prefixes  a  comment  ex- 
plaining His  rejection,  and  referring  to  Christ  Isaiah's  vision 
of  the  Lord  of  Hosts.     John  xii.  20-50. 

On  Olivet,  Christ  discourses  to  the  Twelve  of  the  Last 
Things,  dealing  with  their  four  questions  as  to  the  (a)  time 
and  (J?)  sign  of  the  Fall  of  ferusalem  {predicted  for  the 
fourth  time),  and  the  (c)  time  and  (d)  sign  of  His  appear- 
ing and  tJie  end  of  the  world.  He  passes  from  judgment 
of  the  Rulers  and  of  Jerusalem  to  judgment  of  the  whole 
World,  in  the  three  last  parables,  33rd,  34th  and  35th,  of 
the  Fig-tree  a?id  all  Trees,  the  Ten  Virgins  (the  Church 
watching),  and  the  Talents  (the  Church  working  ;  every 
man  judged  according  to  His  opportunities  :  comp.  29th 
parable),  and  the  Discourse  on  the  Son  of  Man  judging 
those  who  had  not  known  the  Law.  He  closes  by  a  2&th 
allusion  to  His  death  by  crucifixion  two  days  thence.  Matt, 
xxiv.,  xxv.,  xxvi.  1,2;  Mark  xiii.  ;  Luke  xxl  5-38. 

Meanwhile  the  Sanhedrin,  maddened  by  the  public 
exposure  of  their  hypocrisy,  meet  to  arrange  the  manner 
of  His  arrest,  and  bribe  fudas  to  sell  his  Master  to  them 
for  the  price  of  the  meanest  slavey  one-third  of  the  price  of 
what  Mary  had  lavished  in  loving  homage.  Matt.  xxvi. 
3-5,  14-16  ;  Mark  xiv.  1,  2,  10,  11  ;  Luke  xxii.  1-6. 

Wednesday,  April  4,  an  unrecorded  day  of  solemn 
preparation  for  the  Passion,  spent  at  Bethany. 

THURSDAY,  APRIL  5  (Nisan  or  Abib  14).  S.  John's  in- 
troductory words.  John  xiii.  1.  Peter  and  John  sent  to 
Jerusalem  to  make  preparation  for  the  FOURTH  PASSOVER. 
Matt.  xxvi.  17-19;  Mark  xiv.  12-16;  Luke  xxii.  7-13. 
Christ  with  the  Twelve  enters  the  Upper  Room  in  Jerusalem 
for  the  Paschal  Feast.  The  first  cup  (of  consecration) 
passed  round  and  hands  washed.  Matt.  xxvi.  20  ;  Mark 
xiv.  17;  Luke  xxii.  14-18.  He  settles  the  dispute  about 
precedence  which  arose  when  they  were  taking  their  places 
by  washing  their  feet  Himself.  Luke  xxii.  24-30  ;  John 
xiii.  2-17.  The  Lamb,  etc.,  is  then  set  out,  the  bitter 
herbs  eaten,  the  dishes  removed,  the  second  cup  filled,  and 
the  inquiry  concerning  the  Feast  asked  and  answered 
(Exod.  xii.  26,  27  ;  Deut.  xxvi.  5-9).  After  this,  the  first 
part  of  the  great  Hallel  (Psalms  cxiil,  cxiv.)  is  sung,  the 


NINTH  PERIOD.  271 

second  cup  passed  round,  and  the  hands  washed  again. 
As  the  unleavened  bread  is  dipped  in  the  sauce  which 
commemorated  the  mortar  of  their  bondage,  with  another 
thanksgiving,  Christ  foretells  His  betrayal,  indicates  to  Peter 
and  John  the  traitor,  utters  his  awful  doom,  and  dismisses 
him  to  complete  his  treachery.  Matt.  xxvi.  21-5  ;  Mark 
xiv.  18-21  ;  Luke  xxii.  21-3  ;  John  xiii.  18-35. 

Then  the  lamb  is  eaten,  and  during  the  subsequent  dis- 
tribution of  unleavened  bread  followed  by  the  third  cup 
(of  blessing)  Christ  institutes  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  as  a  perpetual  memory  of  His  precious  Death  until 
His  coming  again.  Matt.  xxvi.  26-9 ;  Mark  xiv.  22-5  ; 
Luke  xxii.  19,  20 ;  1  Cor.  xi.  23-5.  The  fourth  cup  (of  joy), 
the  second  part  of  the  Hallel  (Psalm  cxv. — cxviii.),  and  a 
final  prayer  and  thanksgiving  conclude  the  last  true  Paschal 
Feast.  Christ  thrice  foretells  Peter's  denial,  and  again 
speaks  of  His  sufferings  as  fulfilling  prophecy.  John  xiii. 
36-S  ;  Luke  xxii.  31-8  ;  Matt.  xxvi.  30-35  ;  Mark  xiv.  26-31. 

Christ  completes  His  self-rev  elation  to  His  Apostles  by 
His  Last  Discourse  concerning  the  Paraclete  sent  by  the 
Father  and  the  Son  to  testify  of  Him  to  men.  He  deals 
with  His  relation  to  the  Father  and  to  His  disciples,  with 
the  law  and  progress  of  revelation,  gives  them  a  new  com- 
mandment, and  for  the  30th  time  refers  to  His  departure. 
After  leaving  the  Upper  Room,  He  utters  the  Parabolic 
Discourse  of  the  Vine  and  its  Branches,  typifying  their 
union  with  Him  and  love  for  one  another  in  face  of  the 
world's  hatred  ;  and  speaks  of  the  Paraclete's  testimony  to 
the  world  and  to  the  Church,  of  sorrow  turned  into  joy 
and  failure  issuing  in  victory.  Then  our  great  High 
Priest  offers  Himself  as  Victim  in  His  Prayer  of  Consecra- 
tion for  Himself  (v.  1-5),  His  apostles  (v.  6-19),  and  all 
believers  (v.  20-26).  Westcott  suggests  that  this  may  have  been 
uttered  in  the  Temple  Courts,  which  were  thrown  open  at  midnight 
during  the  Passover.     John  xiv. — xvii. 

Crossing  Kedron,  Christ  enters  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane 
on  the  slope  of  Olivet.  His  solitary  prayer  and  mysterious 
Agony,  as  the  Sinless  One  bearing  our  sins,  "  the  sufferings 
of  His  soul  forming  the  soul  of  all  His  sufferings,"  is  wit- 
nessed by  the  Three  who  had  seen  His  Glory.  Matt.  xxvi. 
36-46  ;  Mark  xiv.  32-42  ;  Luke  xxii.  39-46  ;  John  xviii.  1,  2. 


272  THE  GOSPELS. 

He  is  betrayed  by  Judas,  and,  after  display  of  His  power 
that  proves  Him  a  willing  Victim  (John  x.  18),  is  arrested 
by  the  emissaries  of  the  Sanhedrin,  and  heals  Malchus'  ear 
(34^  miracle).  After  a  futile  resistance,  the  disciples  all 
forsake  Him.  Matt.  xxvi.  47-56  ;  Mark  xiv.  43-52  ;  Luke 
xxii.  47-53  ;  John  xviii.  3-12. 

FIRST  TRIAL  soon  after  midnight,  in  the  High  Priest's 
house  at  the  north-east  corner  of  Mount  Zion,  by  Annas  the 
legitimate,  though  deposed,  High  Priest.  No  witnesses. are 
brought,  but  Jesus  is  practically  condemned  to  death,  and 
insulted  by  the  servants.  John  xviii.  13,  14,  19-23  ;  Luke 
xxii.  54. 

Second  Trial  in  the  same  house,  by  Caiaphas,  the 
actual  High  Priest,  and  an  informal  gathering  of  part  of 
the  Sanhedrin.  False  witnesses  accuse  Him  of  speaking 
against  the  Temple,  perverting  His  words.  Questioned  by 
the  rulers  of  the  nation,  He  confesses  Himself  Messiah 
and  Son  of  God,  and  is  potentially  condemned  to  death  for 
"  blasphemy."  First  Derision  as  Messiah  by  the  High 
Priest's  servants.  Matt.  xxvi.  57-68  ;  Mark  xiv.  53-65  ; 
Luke  xxii.  63-5  ;  John  xviii.  24.  In  the  courtyard  below, 
Peter,  who  has  followed  with  John,  being  questioned  by 
two  or  three  servants,  thrice  denies  his  Lord.  Matt.  xxvi. 
58,  69-75  ;  Mark  xiv.  54,  66-72  ;  Luke  xxii.  55-62  ;  John 
xviii.  15-18,  25-7. 

Friday,  April  6  (First  Day  of  Unleavened  Bread). — 
Third  Trial  at  dawn,  in  the  Gazith  or  Hall  of  Polished 
Stones,  or  some  other  chamber  adjoining  the  Temple  on 
Mount  Moriah,  by  a  formal  assembly  of  the  Sanhedrin. 
Again  He  confesses  Himself  Messiah  and  Son  of  God,  and 
is  formally  condemned  to  death  by  the  ecclesiastical  authori- 
ties.    Matt,  xxvii.  I,  2  ;  Mark  xv.  1  ;  Luke  xxii.  66-71. 

The  suicide  of  Judas.     Matt,  xxvii.  3-10  ;  Acts  i.  18-20. 

FOURTH  Trial  in  the  Praetorium  or  official  residence  of 
the  Roman  governor  in  the  castle  of  Antonia,  north  of  the 
Temple  on  Mount  Moriah,  by  Pontius  Pilate,  procurator 
of  Judaea.  First  accusation  of  sedition  against  Rome,  the 
pretext  for  demanding  His  death  being  that  He  threatened 
to  use  force  to  establish  His  Kingdom,  while  the  real 
offence  in  their  eyes  was  that  He  would  not  use  force.  He 
makes  no  reply,  but  in  a  first  private  interview  with  Pilate 


NINTH  PERIOD.  273 

acknowledges  Himself  King  of  the  Jews  with  a  kingdom 
not  of  this  world.  First  warning  to  Pilate  in  the  awe- 
inspiring  aspect  of  his  Prisoner.  1st  acquittal  by  Pilate. 
Second  accusation  of  insurrection.  Pilate's  first  expedient  of 
sending  Him  to  Herod.  Matt,  xxvii.  2,  11-14;  Mark  xv. 
1-5  ;  Luke  xxiii.  1-7  ;  John  xviii.  28-38. 

FIFTH  Trial  in  the  old  palace  of  the  Asmonean  princes 
on  Zion,  by  Herod  Antipas,  tetrarch  of  Galilee.  Third 
accusation  met  with  unbroken  silence.  Second  Derision  as 
King  by  Herod  and  his  soldiers.  2nd  acquittal  by  Herod. 
Return  to  the  Praetorium.     Luke  xxiii.  8-12. 

Sixth  Trial  in  the  Praetorium  by  Pilate,  who,  after 
a  3^  declaratioji  of  His  innocence ',  proposes  for  a  second 
expedient  to  release  Him  as  an  act  of  artificial  grace,  not 
plain  justice,  and  receives  in  his  wife  Claudia  Procula's 
message  a  second  warning.  But  the  Jews  ask  for  Barabbas, 
the  brigand  and  murderer.  For  the  Holy  and  Righteous  One 
they  demand  that  most  shameful  and  painful  form  of  death 
which  was  reserved  for  felonious  slaves.  After  a  4th  acquittal 
Pilate  scourges  Jesus,  and  He  endures  a  Third  Derisio?i  as 
King  from  the  Roman  soldiers.  As  his  third  expedient, 
Pilate  brings  Him  before  the  people,  saying,  "  Behold  the 
Man,"  and  pronouncing  a  $th  acquittal.  Mention  of  the 
Son  of  God  awes  him  with  a  third  warning,  and  in  a  second 
private  interview  Christ  calmly  judges  His  judge.  Mount- 
ing his  tribunal  for  the  third  time,  Pilate  makes  a  final 
attempt  to  release  Christ,  washing  his  hands  with  a  6th 
acquittal  of  "  this  righteous  man."  The  maddened  people 
accept  the  guilt  of  His  blood,  loudly  professing  allegiance 
to  their  Roman  conqueror  only,  and  thus  disclaiming  all 
their  Messianic  hopes,  and  demanding  formal  condemnation 
to  death  by  the  civil  autlwrities  of  their  true  King,  which 
Pilate  at  last  pronounces.  Matt,  xxvii.  15-31  ;  Mark  xv. 
6-20  ;  Luke  xxiii.  13-25  ;  John  xviii.  39 — xix.  16. 

Rejected  by  the  Pharisees,  condemned  by  the  Sadducees, 
denounced  by  the  multitude,  and  forsaken  by  His  own 
disciples,  Jesus  is  led  to  death  by  the  Romans.  On  the 
way  He  utters  His  last  Sermon  and  -fifth  prediction  of  the 
Fall  of  Jerusalem  to  the  pitiful  women  who  bewail  Him. 
Simon  bears  His  cross.  Matt,  xxvii.  32  ;  Mark  xv.  21  ; 
Luke  xxiii.  26-32  ;  John  xix.  17. 

18 


27+  THE  GOSPELS. 

About  nine  o'clock,  at  Golgotha,  He  refuses  the  soporific 
offered  to  alleviate  the  anguish  of  crucifixion,  and  is  nailed 
to  the  cross  between  two  robbers  with  a  superscription  in 
the  three  languages  of  the  civilised  world  over  His  head, 
just  as  the  morning  daily  sacrifice  is  being  offered.  First 
Word  of  priestly  Intercession  for  the  impenitent.  He  is 
mocked  by  the  members  of  the  Sanhedrin  as  Saviour, 
Messiah,  and  King  of  Israel  ;  by  the  soldiers  as  King  of 
the  Jews  ;  and  by  the  multitude  as  Son  of  God.  Matt, 
xxvii.  33-44 ;  Mark  xv.  22-32  ;  Luke  xxiii.  33-8  ;  John 
xix.  18-24.  Second  Word  of  royal  Grace  for  the  penitent 
and  believing  robber  (the  first  Jew  won  by  the  Cross). 
Luke  xxiii.  39-43.  Third  Word  of  tender  Love  and  care 
for  His  Mother.     John  xix.  25-7. 

Noon.  Three  hours  of  supernatural  darkness  and  awful 
silence  begin.  Three  o'clock.  Fourth  Word  of  spiritual 
Agony.  Fifth  Word  of  physical  Agony.  Sixth  VVord  of 
Triumph.  Seventh  Word  of  calm  Trust,  and  then  our 
Saviour  yields  up  His  spirit  just  as  the  evening  daily  sacri- 
fice is  beginning,  and  the  first  Sabbath  trumpet  sounding. 
The  sign  from  heaven  so  long  clamoured  for  appears,  the 
Rent  Veil  of  the  Temple  proclaims  the  Law  abrogated  and 
man  brought  nigh  to  God,  earth  quakes,  the  rocks  are  rent, 
and  the  tombs  are  opened.  The  centurion  confesses  Him 
righteous  Son  of  God  (the  first  Gentile  won  by  the  Cross), 
and  the  multitude  mourn  and  fear  exceedingly.  Matt, 
xxvii.  45-56;  Mark  xv.  33-41  ;  Luke  xxiii.  44-9;  John 
xix.  28-30. 

In  the  evening,  Joseph  of  Arimathaea  obtains  Pilate's 
permission  to  take  away  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  when  His 
death  has  been  proved  by  the  soldier's  spear  thrust,  Joseph 
and  Nicodemus  bury  Him  with  all  possible  honour  in  a 
new  tomb  in  a  garden  near  Golgotha,  just  as  the  wave 
sheaf  (comp.  Lev.  xxiii.  10,  11  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  20),  is  carried 
across  Kedron.  Matt,  xxvii.  57-61  ;  Mark  xv.  42-7  ;  Luke 
xxiii.  50-56  ;  John  xix.  31-42. 

SATURDAY,  April  7,  the  Sabbath. — The  disciples  rest. 
The  priests  secure  a  guard  for  the  tomb.  Luke  xxiii.  56 ; 
Matt,  xxvii.  62-6. 


TENTH  PERIOD.  275 

Tenth  Period. 

Between    Passover   and    Pentecost,   A.D.   30, 
Nisan   17  to  Sivan  3  (40  days). 

The  Resurrection  and  Ascension  of  Christ. 

Matt,  xxviii. ;  Mark  xvi. ;  Luke  xxiv. ;  John  xx.,  xxi. 

"  Thou  hast  ascended  on  high." — Psalm  lxviii.  18. 
"Now  hath  Christ  been  raised  from  the  dead." — 1  Cor. 
xv.  20. 

Sunday,  April  8  ("The  first  Lord's  Day  ").— In  Joseph's 
garden,  before  dawn,  there  is  a  great  earthquake,  and 
Christ  is  raised  from  the  dead,  being  thus  for  the  fourth 
time  declared  (Rom.  i.  4)  the  Son  of  God.     Matt,  xxviii.  2-4. 

In  the  morning  twilight,  Mary  of  Magdala  visits  the 
tomb,  and  departs  with  the  news  that  the  Lord  is  not  there. 
Matt,  xxviii.  1  ;  John  xx.  1,  2. 

At  daybreak,  Mary  wife  of  Alphaeus,  Salome  wife  of 
Zebedee,  Joanna  wife  of  Chuza,  and  other  women  visit  the 
tomb,  and  hear  of  the  Resurrection  from  an  angel,  who 
sends  them  to  tell  the  Apostles.  Matt,  xxviii.  1,  5-8  ;  Mark 
xvi.  1-8;  Luke  xxiv.  1-11. 

Mary  of  Magdala  returns  to  the  tomb  with  Peter  and 
John,  who  find  it  empty  and  depart.  John  believes.  First 
Appearance  of  the  Risen  Lord  to  her  at  the  tomb.  Luke 
xxiv.  12  ;  John  xx.  3-18  ;  Mark  xvi.  9-1 1. 

Second  Appearance  to  the  other  women  returning  to 
Jerusalem.     Matt,  xxviii.  9,  10. 

Third  Appearance  to  Peter.  Luke  xxiv.  34 ;  1  Cor. 
xv.  5. 

The  Sanhedrin  bribe  the  guard  to  promulgate  an  im- 
potent fabrication.     Matt,  xxviii.  11 -15. 

Fourth  Appearance  in  the  evening,  on  the  road  to 
Emmaus,  to  Cleopas  and  another.  The  Lord  discourses 
on  His  fulfilment  of  Old  Testament  prophecy,  and  is  made 
known  to  them  "  in  the  breaking  of  the  bread."  Mark  xvi. 
12,  13  ;  Luke  xxiv.  13-32. 

Fifth  Appearance,  later  in  the  evening  in  the  Upper 
Room  at  Jerusalem,  to  ten  Apostles  and  other  disciples. 


276  THE   GOSPELS. 

The  Lord's  first  charge  to  His  Church  to  evangelise  the 
world,  and  His  Easter  evening  gifts  to  it :  viz.,  peace  (comp. 
John  xiv.  27),  assurance,  understanding,  spiritual  authority, 
power  to  work  miracles,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  quickening 
them  with  new  faith  in  anticipation  of  His  endowing  them 
with  new  power  at  Pentecost.  Mark  xvi.  14 ;  Luke  xxiv. 
33-48;  John  xx.  19-23  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  5. 

SUNDAY,  APRIL  15.  Sixth  Appearance  in  the  evening 
in  the  same  Upper  Room  to  the  Eleven  Apostles.  Thomas 
worships  Him  as  Lord  and  God.     John  xx.  24-9. 

Seventh  Appearance  by  the  Lake  of  Galilee  to  Peter, 
James,  John,  Thomas,  Nathanael,  and  two  others,  probably 
Philip  and  Andrew  (viz.,  the  six  first  called  and  the  con- 
vinced doubter).  35^//  miracle.  Second  miraculous  draught 
of  fishes,  typical  of  the  gathering  in  of  a  perfect  Church  in 
heaven,  as  the  3rd  miracle  had  been  typical  of  the  gathering 
in  of  a  militant  Church  on  earth.  The  Lord  again  made 
known  "  in  the  breaking  of  the  bread."  Peter's  threefold 
confession  undoes  his  threefold  denial.     John  xxi.  1-23. 

Eighth  Appearance  on  Kurn  Hattin,  in  Galilee,  to  the 
Eleven  and  more  than  500  disciples.  He  receives  their 
homage  as  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  shows  how  the 
Chosen  People  of  the  past  give  place  henceforth  to  the 
Universal  Church  of  the  future.  He  institutes  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Baptism  in  the  name  of  the  Trinity  as  the  rite  of 
admission  into  it,  and  gives  a  second  charge  to  His  Church  to 
evangelise  the  world,  promising  power  to  fulfil  the  com- 
mand, and  His  abiding  Presence  till  the  consummation  of 
the  age.    Matt,  xxviii.  16-20  ;  Mark  xvi.  15-18  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  6. 

Ninth  Appearance  to  James,  "  the  brother  of  the  Lord," 
1  Cor.  xv.  7.  (There  were  but  three  to  individuals  in  all. 
Acts  i.  3  suggests  other  unrecorded  Appearances.) 

Thursday,  May  17  (ten  days  before  Pentecost).— TV///// 
Appearance  in  Jerusalem  to  the  Eleven,  whom  He  leads 
out  to  Bethany.  After  renewing  His  promise  of  the  Spirit, 
and  giving  a  third  charge  to  His  Church  to  evangelise  the 
world,  from  Mount  Olivet,  while  blessing  them,  He  ascends 
to  Heaven,  where  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for 
us,  until  He  comes  again  in  like  manner  as  He  went  up. 
Mark  xvi.  19,  20  ;  Luke  xxiv.  49-53  ;  Acts  i.  3-12  ;  1  Cor. 
xv.  7 


TENTH  PERIOD.  2J7 

S.  John's  Epilogue  on  the  purpose  of  the  Gospels,  and 
a  confirmation  of  his  narrative,  probably  added  by  the 
Ephesian  elders.     John  xx.  30,  31  ;  xxi.  24,  25. 

"  By  the  mystery  of  Thy  holy  Incarnation  ; 
By  Thy  holy  Nativity  and  Circumcision  ; 
By  Thy  Baptism,  Fasting,  and  Temptation  ; 
By  Thine  Agony  and  bloody  Sweat ; 
By  Thy  Cross  and  Passion  ; 
By  T J ly  precious  Death  and  Burial ; 
By  Thy  glorious  Resurrection  aitd  Ascension  ; 
And  by  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 

Good  Lord,  deliver  us." 


NINTH    TERM. 

The  Days  of  S.  Paul. 
The  Gospel  Preached  to  the  Gentiles. 


a.d.   51—97- 

Acts  XV. — XXVIII.  I  Thessalonians.  2  Thessalonians.  1  Conn 
thians.  2  Corinthians.  Galatians.  Romans.  Philippians.  Colos- 
sians.  Philemon.  Ephesians.  1  Timothy.  Titles.  2  Timothy. 
1,  2,  and  3  John.      Revelation.     (130  chapters?) 

"Thou  hast  known  the  sacred  writings  which  are  able  to  make  thee  wise 
unto  salvation  through  faith." — 2  Tim.  iii.  15. 


33rd  MONTH  (32). 

Acts  XV.— XVIII.  17,  1  and  2 
Thess.  Acts  XVIII.  18-XIX. 
20.  1  Cor.  Acts  XIX.  21  — 
XX.  1.     2  Cor.  I.— III. 

34th  MONTH  (32). 

2  Cor.  IV— XIII.  Acts  XX. 
2.     Gal.     Rom. 


35th  MONTH  (33). 

Acts  XX.  3— XXVIII.  Phil. 
Col.  Philem.  Eph.  I  Tim. 
Titus. 

36th  MONTH  (33). 

2  Tim.     1.  2,  3  John.     Rev. 


I.  General  Summary. 

NO  one  chapter  in  the  intertwined  and  unfinished  history 
of  mankind  can  be  altogether  isolated  from  its  other 
chapters.  Having  rounded  off  the  story  of  the  literal  Israel, 
the  people  who  were  chosen  to  be  a  kingdom  of  priests  in 
the  past  (Exod.  xix.  6),  we  must  trace  its  connexion  with 
the  story  of  the  spiritual  Israel,  chosen  to  be  a  kingdom  of 
priests  in  the  present  (Rev.  i.  6,  R.V. :  see  p.  5).  Israel 
was  called  out  of  the  world  ;  the  Church  is  placed  in  the 
world,  though  not  of  it.  Extraordinary  privileges  as 
regards  God  and  extraordinary  obligations  as  regards  man 
characterise  both.     One  nation  only  God  knew  and  made 

278 


GENERAL  SUMMARY.  279 

Himself  known  to  (Amos  iii.  2).  Yet  while  Gentiles 
knowing  only  false  gods  were  desiring  the  true  God  (Acts 
xvii.  23),  Israel  went  after  other  gods  whom  they  knew 
not  (Jer.  vii.  9),  and  so  God  removed  them  from  their 
place  among  the  nations,  and  "  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  " 
began. 

From  B.C.  6c6  to  A.D.  45  they  were  prepared  for  the 
Gospel,  just  as  Israel  had  been  prepared  for  the  Law  from 
B.C.  1 92 1  to  1490  (see  p.  25).  Individual  Gentiles  had  already 
received  blessing  through  contact  with  Israel  (see  p.  162, 
Question  XXX.).  And  when  the  nations  who  had  been 
scattered  at  Babel  (Gen.  xi.)  were  re-united  under  Nebu- 
chadnezzar (Jer.  xxvii.  4-7),  Israel,  hitherto  kept  apart, 
was  placed  in  the  midst  of  them  to  bear  witness  in  the 
Gentile  tongue  to  the  true  God  (Jer.  x.  11,  R.V.  margin  ; 
Dan.  iii.  29) ;  and  the  Psalms  which  we  have  called  "  the 
Missionary  Hallel  "  (p.  209),  anticipated  blessing  through 
Israel  to  all  the  world.  Not  only  have  Jew  and  Gentile 
lived  in  closest  contact  with  each  other  since  B.C.  606, 
but  the  history  of  the  whole  world  may  be  grouped  round 
that  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  whose  names  are  on  the 
gates  of  the  City  of  the  Future  (Rev.  xxi.  1 2  ;  comp.  Deut. 
xxxii.  8). 

As  we  have  seen,  the  Church  in  its  infancy  appeared  to 
be  only  a  sect  of  Jews  who  believed  that  the  Messiah  had 
come,  and  emphasized  the  Pharisaic  doctrine  of  the  Resur- 
rection (Acts  xxiii.  6).  Christ's  own  fulfilment  of  the 
Law  consisted  in  its  spiritualisation,  and  once  at  least  He 
had  pointed  to  its  abrogation  (Mark  vii.  19,  R.V.).  He 
sought  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews  (John  iii.  16,  xii.  32),  and 
strongly  commended  Gentile  faith  (Matt.  viii.  10,  xv.  28). 
But  the  first  Christians  seem  to  have  had  no  clear  con- 
ception of  their  faith  as  the  one  worldwide  religion  with 
whose  expansion  the  ceremonial  Mosaic  Law  would  vanish 
away.  The  Greek  in  which  the  New  Testament  is  written 
is  symbolical  of  the  universality  of  its  revelation,  and  it  was 
one  of  the  greatest  of  Greek-speaking  Jewish  Christians, 
S.  Stephen,  who  first  enunciated  two  new  truths  as  cardinal 
as  the  two  uttered  at  Sinai  (see  p.  54).  (a)  All  men, 
both  Jews  and  Gentiles,  are  equally  unacceptable  to  God 
in  view  of  their  fallen  and  sinful  condition,  and  all  are 


2S0  NINTH  TERM. 

equally  acceptable  to  God  if  they  call  upon  Him  through 
Christ  (Rom.  iii.  9,  22,  23,  x.  12,  13).  (b)  The  Mosaic 
Covenant  is  temporary  and  imperfect  (Heb.  viii.  13). 

Let  us  now  trace  the  application  of  these  principles.  S. 
Peter  anticipates  the  first  in  Acts  ii.  39,  iii.  26  ;  and  it  was 
acted  on  in  the  successive  admissions  to  the  Church  of 
the  Samaritans,  somewhat  heretical  followers  of  Moses  ; 
of  Cand ace's  treasurer,  a  proselyte  of  the  gate  ;  and  of 
Cornelius  and  his  household,  all  of  whom  could  hardly 
have  been  proselytes.  But  it  was  at  Antioch  that  some 
Cyprian  and  African  missionaries  first  preached  to  Gentiles 
as  Gentiles  (Acts  xi.  20,  R.V.).  There  the  emergence  of 
the  Church  from  Judaism  was  further  marked  by  the  name 
"  Christian,"  invented  by  the  quick-witted  Antiochenes  and 
formed  by  adding  a  Latin  suffix  to  the  Greek  translation 
of  a  Hebrew  idea  (comp.  John  xix.  20).  That  it  was  at 
first  used  by  the  world  opprobriously,  is  clear  from  each 
recurrence  of  it  in  the  New  Testament  (Acts  xi.  26,  xxvi. 
28  ;  1  Peter  iv.  16).  Later  on  the  Church  adopted  it  and 
gloried  in  it  (James  ii.  7).  It  shows  that  our  faith  is  not 
centred  in  a  doctrine,  but  in  a  Person. 

Meanwhile  the  Apostle  through  whom  God  "  caused  the 
light  of  the  Gospel  to  shine  throughout  the  world  "  had 
been  called,  and  the  mystery  of  a  Gentile  Church  had  been 
revealed  to  him  (Eph.  iii.  ;  Acts  xxvi.  16-18).  Step  by 
step  he  acted  upon  this  revelation  (Acts  xiii.  46,  xiv.  1 5, 
27,  xv.,  xviii.  6),  and  taught  in  accordance  with  it.  (Rom. 
i.  16).  And  so  we  come  to  the  most  memorable  journey  on 
record  (Acts  xiii.),  the  first  definite  act  of  obedience  to  our 
Lord's  last  command  (Mark  xvi.  15).  For  in  contrast  to 
the  Old  Dispensation,  where  the  Proselyte  sought  admission 
into  Israel's  congregation,  in  the  New  Dispensation  the 
Apostle  went  out  to  seek  converts  whom  he  might  lead  into 
the  Church.  Divinely  guided,  S.  Paul  and  his  companions 
went  westwards  towards  the  scenes  of  the  epoch-making 
events  in  the  world's  future  history. 

Three  circumstances  were  in  his  favour,  through  which 
God  had  prepared  men  to  receive  the  truth  : — 

(a)  The  intellectual  conquest  of  the  world  by  Greece  had 
produced  a  unity  of  language,  so  that  the  Apostles  speaking 
and  writing  in  Greek  were  everywhere  understood. 


GENERAL  SUMMARY.  281 

(J?)  The  material  conquest  of  the  world  by  Rome  had 
produced  a  political  unity,  which  gave  them  free  scope  and 
fair  protection  everywhere. 

(c)  The  dispersion  of  the  Jews  had  carried  some  know- 
ledge of  the  One  True  God  and  some  purer  notions  of 
morality  into  many  parts,  and  the  heathen  were  often 
reached  through  the  proselytes,  of  whom  the  larger  number 
were  women  (Acts  xiii.  50,  xvii.  4,  1 2). 

On  the  other  hand,  he  had  greater  difficulties  to  contend 
with  than  any  missionaries  could  have  now  in  any  part  of 
the  world.  Disowned  and  cast  out  at  Jerusalem,  he  carried 
a  message  to  the  Jews  concerning  the  abrogation  of  their 
cherished  exclusive  privileges  ;  despised  and  loathed  as  a 
Jew,  he  had  to  tell  the  Gentiles  of  a  revelation  that  would 
supersede  all  their  national  beliefs  and  transcend  all  their 
proudest  philosophies.  But  he  went  for  Christ  and  with 
Christ,  and  God  chose  weak  things  that  He  might  shame 
the  things  that  were  strong. 

In  A.D.  51  the  Church  contained  these  seven  classes  of 
Christians  : — (a)  Strict  Hebraists,  such  as  those  in  Acts 
xxi.  20.  (b)  Liberal  Hebraists,  such  as  S.  Peter,  Acts 
xi.  3.  (V)  Strict  Hellenists,  such  as  those  in  Acts  ix.  29. 
(d)  Liberal  Hellenists,  such  as  S.  Paul,  (e)  Proselytes  of 
Righteousness  who  were  circumcised,  such  as  Nicolas,  Acts 
vi.  5.  (f)  Proselytes  of  the  Gate  who  were  uncircumcised, 
such  as  Cornelius.  (^)  Heathen  converts,  such  as  Trophimus, 
Acts  xxi.  29.  He  is  a  type  of  nearly  all  the  Christians  of  to- 
day, and  he  belongs  chronologically  to  the  last  class  brought 
into  the  Church  (see  Farrar's  "  Life  of  St.  Paul."  Cassell,  6s.). 

What  was  to  be  the  relation  of  this  class  to  the  Mosaic 
Law  ?  Over  that  question  arose  the  first  controversy.  It 
was  settled,  not  without  loss  of  velocity  through  friction 
meanwhile,  but  with  ultimate  gain,  theoretically  at  the  first 
synod  of  the  Church,  and  in  S.  Paul's  second  group  of 
Epistles  ;  practically,  just  40  years  after  the  Resurrection, 
by  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem. 

S.  Paul  recognises  four  stages  in  the  world's  history 
dating  from  four  persons,  of  whom  the  first  like  the  last 
stands  at  the  head  of  a  long  line  of  representatives  : — 

(a)  Relative  innocence  ending  in  Sin  in  Adam,  whose 
transgression  developed  a  death-working  principle. 


282  NINTH  TERM. 

(J?)  Awakened  conscience  and  Promise  in  Abraham. 

(f)   Imputable  transgression  and  Law  in  Moses. 

(d)  Free  justification  and  Gospel  in  Christ,  whose 
righteousness  developed  a  new  life-working  principle.  The 
Law  of  Moses  had  shown  the  need  of  this,  and  it  fulfilled 
the  Promise  to  Abraham.  In  Christ  the  Law  found  both 
its  accomplishment  and  its  conclusion,  in  one  word,  its 
"end"  (Rom.  x.  4),  as  He  Himself  indicated  (Matt.  xi.  13). 

For  its  relation  to  the  Gospel,  work  out  this  summary. 

The  Law  was  negative,  particular,  complex,  preparatory, 
temporary,  and  easy  to  act  up  to,  in  that  it  controlled 
deeds.  It  uttered  precepts  and  commands,  requiring  works 
and  saying,  "  Thou  shalt  love,"  "  Do  and  live  "  (Deut.  iv.  1). 

The  Gospel  is  positive,  general,  simple,  final,  eternal,  and 
hard  to  act  up  to,  in  that  it  controls  motives.  It  utters 
principles  and  sanctions,  requires  faith,  and  says,  "  God  so 
loved,"  "  Live  and  do  "  (Rom.  viii.  2-4). 

The  moral  Law  still  binds  us,  not  as  the  condition  of 
our  acceptance  before  God,  but  as  an  evidence  of  our  accept- 
ance by  God  before  men. 

The  relation  of  Judaism  to  Christianity  is  not  that  of 
error  to  truth,  but  of  the  bud  to  the  flower,  of  the  child  to 
the  man,  of  the  dawn  to  the  day,  of  the  acorn  which 
perishes  when  it  has  germinated  to  the  oak  which  it  has 
produced.  "Tear  up  the  Jewish  root,  and  the  Christian 
branch  will  perish,"  thought  Titus  when  he  took  Jerusalem. 
In  reality  its  Fall  settled  the  Judaic  controversy  ;  separated 
Christians  from  Jews  finally  in  the  eyes  of  the  heathen  ; 
cut  the  cords  which  bound  the  new  faith  to  a  local  habita- 
tion, and  enabled  it  to  become  worldwide.  In  S.  John's 
writings  Jew  and  Gentile  stand  undistinguished  in  the 
same  fold. 

Why  did  Titus  desire  to  destroy  Christianity  ?  For  in 
Acts,  which  records  twelve  separate  persecutions  that  S. 
Paul  suffered  from  the  Jews  (1  Thess.  ii.  14-16)  we  see  the 
Roman  power  protecting  him  from  his  own  compatriots  ; 
the  heathen  indifferent,  curious,  tolerant,  and  docile,  but 
only  hostile  on  those  rare  occasions  when  fears  for  their 
worldly  interests  were  roused.  In  ancient  days  worship 
of  other  gods  by  Gentiles  had  been  recognised  if  not 
actually  permitted  (Deut.  xxix.  25,  26).     But  later  on  the 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  283 

prophets  call  on  all  men  to  worship  one  God  only  (Jer. 
xvi.  19-21).  And  when  the  Gentiles  found  that  Christianity 
always  and  everywhere  claimed  to  be  not  only  a  religion, 
but  the  one  true  religion,  they  resented  this  claim.  In  64 
the  First  of  Ten  heathen  Persecutions  of  the  Church  broke 
out,  and  thenceforth  the  Empire  was  at  war  with  the  Church 
until  A.D.  313.  See  Blunt's  "  Christian  Church  during  the 
First  Three  Centuries,"  chap.  viii.  (Murray,  6s.). 

Israel's  religion  had  never  before  won  other  nations  or 
saved  Israel  from  ruin  ;  Gentile  wisdom  had  proved  power- 
less to  arrest  decay  of  all  forms  of  belief,  and  universal 
depravity  of  morals.  Yet  1900  years  ago,  from  the  midst 
of  Jewish  weakness  and  Gentile  uncleanness  (Job  xiv.  4), 
there  sprang  a  new  thing  irresistibly  mighty,  and  not  only 
clean  but  cleansing,  which  has  been  the  salt  of  the  earth 
ever  since.  Secular  history  seeks  to  account  for  this  in 
vain.  We  know  that  the  new  principle  of  life  which  made 
this  marvellous  change  possible  was  the  indwelling  Spirit 
of  God  working  through  the  Church  of  the  Living  Jesus. 

II.  Books  to  be  Read. 
(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  §  xv.) 

Save  for  the  remaining  chapters  of  the  Acts,  our  reading 
this  term  is  wholly  of  the  two  greatest  authors  of  the  Apos- 
tolic age,  S.  Paul  and  S.  John,  with  one  of  whom  we  now 
make  our  first  acquaintance.  Poetry  is  not  an  element  that 
we  commonly  recognise  in  the  New  Testament.  But  besides 
the  parallelism  in  many  of  our  Lord's  discourses,  the 
poetical  structure  of  some  of  His  parables,  and  such  rhyth- 
mical outpourings  as  Rom.  viii.  29-39,  xi.  33-6 ;  1  Cor. 
xiii.  1-8,  xv.  35-58  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  3-10  ;  James  v.  1-6,  it  contains 
one  whole  book,  which  is  in  the  highest  sense  poetry,  viz., 
the  Apocalypse. 

Acts  xv. — xxviii.  tells  of  the  Gospel's  progress  westward 
from  its  cradle  in  Jerusalem  to  Rome,  the  capital  of  the 
world,  and  dwells,  with  all  the  minute  accuracy  of  a  con- 
temporary historian  and  eye-witness,  upon  those  parts  of 
S.  Paul's  career  during  which  S.  Luke  was  his  companion. 
It  breaks  off  suddenly  at  the  eve  of  the  Neronian  persecu- 


284  NINTH  TERM. 

tion,  concerning  which  it  would  have  been  unsafe  to  speak 
freely,  and  we  must  glean  the  events  of  the  last  thirty-four 
years  of  our  period  from  less  complete  records.  The  key- 
note of  Acts  xv. — xxviii.  is  The  Gentiles  are  fellow-heirs 
and  fellow-partakers  of  the  promise. 

S.  Paul's  thirteen  Epistles  fall  into  four  groups,  and 
should  always  be  read  in  their  chronological  order.  Six 
were  written  to  Europe  (viz.,  three  to  Macedonia,  two  to 
Achaia,  and  one  to  Italy),  three  to  Asia  Minor,  and  four 
to  individuals.  Of  the  churches  S.  Paul  addresses,  five  had 
been  founded  by  him.  (1  Cor.  v.  9  ;  2  Cor.  x.  9 ;  Col.  iv. 
16  ;  2  Thess.  iii.  17,  indicate  that  he  may  have  written  other 
letters  not  preserved.)  As  a  rule,  his  Epistles  consist  of  six 
parts  :  (a)  Solemn  Salutation  ;  (J?)  Expression  of  Thank- 
fulness for  God's  work  in  the  church  addressed  ;  (c)  Re- 
ligious Doctrine ;  (d)  Practical  Exhortation  ;  (e)  Personal 
Details  and  Greetings.  (/")  Autograph  Benediction  as  a 
mark  of  authenticity.  (The  notes  at  the  end,  which  R.V. 
omits,  are  very  late,  and  in  some  cases  evidently  erroneous.) 
But  we  misunderstand  the  Epistles  if  we  try  to  reduce 
them  to  regular  subdivisions  as  so  many  set  treatises  on 
abstract  doctrine.  Clause  by  clause  they  were  dictated  to 
his  children  in  the  faith,  as  he  sat  stitching  the  coarse  tent 
cloth,  and  wondrous  thoughts  of  things  Divine  were  welling 
up  within  him.  From  his  heart  to  their  hearts,  and  to 
our  hearts,  he  speaks,  with  all  the  tenderness  and  all  the 
familiarity  of  personal  intercourse,  and  in  these  living 
utterances  of  a  living  man  the  expositions  of  truth  are 
incidental.  Each  thought  leads  on  to  the  next,  not  by  a 
process  of  elaborate  reasoning,  but  by  a  natural  association 
of  ideas.  There  is  in  them  not  formal  system,  but  sponta- 
neous coherence  and  sequence.  Each  Epistle  should  be 
looked  at  apart  from  the  rest.  Each  should  be  read  swiftly 
at  a  sitting,  as  well  as  studied  in  detail,  that  its  general 
purpose  and  character  may  be  duly  apprehended. 

FIRST  GROUP. — The  Advent  Epistles,  written  at  Corinth 
in  52,  and  addressed  to  a  Macedonian  Church,  whose 
religion  was  practical  and  straightforward.  Hence  they 
are  the  simplest  of  all  in  their  matter  and  manner,  and  deal 
with  Christian  life  rather  than  Christian  doctrine.  Their 
subject  is  the  Second  Coming  of  Christ,  and  our  prepara- 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  2S5 

tion  in  patience  and  watchfulness  for  it.     Undue  curiosity 
as  to  the  time  of  the  end  is  discouraged. 

1  Thessalonians  was  occasioned  by  Timothy's  return  with 
cheering  news  of  Thessalonian  steadfastness.  Its  tone  is 
very  sweet  and  consolatory.  S.  Paul  commends  the  Church 
as  a  whole,  admonishes  the  sinful,  comforts  the  sorrowful, 
and  concludes  with  general  exhortation.  Its  keynote  is 
The  Coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  with  all  His  saints. 

2  Thessalonians  was  occasioned  by  the  erroneous  infer- 
ences which  had  been  drawn  from  the  former  letter.  The 
Advent  must  be  unexpected,  but  it  may  not  be  near. 
Its  keynote  is  The  Revelation  of  the  Lord  Jesus  with  the 
angels  of  His  power.  S.  Paul's  favourite  trilogy  of  Faith, 
Hope,  and  Love  pervades  both  epistles. 

SECOND  GROUP. — The  Anti-Judaic  Epistles ;  written  in 
57  and  58,  in  the  midst  of  physical  and  mental  trials  which 
have  left  deep  traces  on  their  style.  Their  subject  is 
Individual  Christian  Life,  God's  Grace  and  our  Faith. 
Compared  with  Macedonian,  Achaian  religion  was  more 
enlightened,  but  more  conceited  and  of  lower  type  morally. 

1  Corinthians,  written  in  Ephesus  at  the  Passover  of  57, 
was  occasioned  by  a  letter  asking  questions  as  to  marriage, 
things  offered  to  idols,  spiritual  gifts,  public  worship,  collec- 
tions, and  the  Resurrection.  S.  Paul  shows  that  there  may 
be  love  and  unity  where  there  are  different  opinions,  and 
that  practical  details  of  life  should  be  decided  by  eternal 
principles.  Its  keynote  is  Take  heed,  be  steadfast,  and  let 
all  ye  do  be  done  in  love. 

2  Corinthians,  written  at  Philippi  (?),  is  in  two  parts.  Ch. 
i. — ix.,  occasioned  by  a  cheering  account  of  the  church  from 
Titus,  whose  keynote  is  Transient  light  afflictioti  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory  ;  ch.  x. — xiii.,  occasioned  by  news  of  a 
fresh  attack  upon  S.  Paul's  authority,  and  written  in  a 
sterner  and  more  sorrowful  tone,  whose  keynote  is  In  nothing 
behind  the  very  chiefest  Apostles.  Of  all  the  Epistles  this 
is  the  one  in  which  we  see  deepest  into  S.  Paul's  heart. 

Galatians,  written  at  Corinth  in  58  (?),  was  occasioned 
by  news  that  the  Galatians  w  ere  forsaking  the  freedom  of 
Christ  for  the  bondage  of  Moses.  It  is  "a  trumpet  note 
of  defiance  to  the  Pharisee?,  of  Christianity."  It  falls  into 
three  parts  of  two  chapters  each,  personal,  historical,  and 


286  NINTH  TERM. 

practical,  and  its  keynote  is  NcitJier  circumcision  nor  uncir- 
cumcision,  but  a  new  creature. 

Romans,  written  at  Corinth  in  58  in  expectation  of 
visiting  the  capital,  fills  the  central  place  in  S.  Paul's 
writings,  both  chronologically  and  doctrinally,  and  contains 
the  sum  of  his  theology,  dealing  in  the  largest  and  most 
general  way  with  the  universality  of  sin  and  the  univer- 
sality of  grace.  Galatians  is  like  a  rough  sketch  for  it.  Its 
keynote  is  The  revelation  of  the  Righteousness  of  God ;  and 
we  may  sum  up  its  main  argument  thus  :  "  The  Gospel  is 
the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  because  it  contains  the 
revelation  of  a  righteousness.  This  is  needed  because 
God's  wrath  is  upon  sin,  and  all,  both  Jews  and  Gentiles, 
have  sinned  (i.— iii.  20).  God  offers  man  a  salvation,  whose 
freeness  the  Old  Testament  illustrates  and  vindicates, 
whose  effects,  as  we  ourselves  know,  are  immediate,  pro- 
gressive, and  ultimate.  It  is  a  reversal  of  the  Fall,  a  lifting 
up  of  the  individual  life  above  sin  ;  a  complete  deliverance 
from  sin  and  its  consequences  (iii.  21 — viii.).  The  relation 
of  this  Gospel  to  the  Jew  is  a  sorrowful  story,  but  it  involves 
no  injustice  on  God's  part,  and  will  be  gloriously  compen- 
sated hereafter  (ix. — xi.).  The  practical  results  of  this 
Gospel  should  be  dedication  of  ourselves  to  God,  devotion 
to  duty  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  in  submission  to  authority, 
love,  toleration,  conscientiousness,  in  one  word,  in  imitation 
of  Christ  (xii. — xv.)."  Or  we  may  say  the  Epistle  shows  the 
dealings  with  men  of  God  the  Father  (i. — iii.  20),  God  the 
Son  (iii.  21 — vii.),  God  the  Holy  Ghost  (viii.)  ;  or  see,  as  its 
dominating  ideas,  Faith  (iii. — vii.),  Hope  (viii.),  and  Love 
(xii. — xiv.).  Faith,  which  links  God's  righteousness  and 
man's  justification,  is  mentioned  some  sixty  times.  Those 
who  know  something  of  Greek  can  have  no  more  helpful 
guide  to  the  understanding  of  Romans  and  of  S.  Paul's 
Epistles  generally  than  Dean  Vaughan's  edition  of  its  Greek 
text  with  notes  (Macmillan,  Js.  6d.). 

THIRD  GROUP. — The  Anti-Gnostic  Epistles,  all  written  at 
Rome  in  63.  They  deal  with  loftier  and  more  mysterious 
themes  than  the  earlier  ones,  and  show  throughout  thought 
enriched  and  ripened,  and  growth  both  in  grace  and  wisdom.. 
Their  subject  is  Corporate  Christian  Life,  and  Christ  as 
God  and  Man. 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  287 

Philippians,  occasioned  by  the  visit  of  Epaphroditus,  and 
written  to  a  church  which  seems  to  have  been  to  S.  Paul 
what  the  household  of  Bethany  was  to  his  Master,  falls,  like 
Galatians,  into  personal,  doctrinal,  and  practical  sections 
Its  keynote  is  Press  on  and  rejoice  always. 

Colossians,  occasioned  by  the  return  of  Onesimus,  combats 
error.  Its  keynote  is  Christ  is  the  Head  of  the  Church,  and 
in  Him  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead. 

Philemon,  written  and  sent  together  with  Colossians, 
forms  "  the  practical  manifesto  of  Christianity  against  the 
horrors  and  iniquities  of  slavery."  Its  keynote  is  No  longer 
as  a  bondman,  but  as  a  brother  beloved. 

Ephesians,  which  may  have  been  a  circular  letter  to  all 
the  Asiatic  churches  (i.  1,  R.V.  margin),  builds  up  truth. 
Its  keynote  is  The  Church  is  Christ's  Body,  the  fulness  of 
Him  that  fillet Ji  all  in  all.  It  may  be  called  the  Epistle  of 
the  Ascension. 

FOURTH  GROUP. — The  Pastoral  Epistles,  manuals  of 
practical  discipline  rather  than  expositions  of  doctrine. 
They  have  not  the  depth  and  grandeur  of  the  earlier 
epistles,  their  purpose  being  wholly  different.  Their  subject 
is  the  Work  of  the  Ministry,  Being  and  Doing.  The 
trilogy  of  Faith,  Hope,  and  Love  again  becomes  prominent. 

1  Timothy,  written  from  Macedonia  in  65  or  66,  has 
least  structural  unity  of  all  the  epistles.  Its  keynote  is 
Teach  healthful  words,  and  the  doctrine  zvJiicli  is  according 
to  godliness. 

Titus,  written  from  Macedonia  in  66,  has  for  keynote 
Those  who  are  Gods  must  be  godly. 

2  Timothy,  written  from  his  Roman  prison  in  6j  to 
implore  his  best-beloved  disciple  to  come  to  him  quickly, 
contains  S.  Paul's  last  brave  and  tender  words,  and  its 
keynote  is  Through  the  cross  to  the  crown. 

The  three  Epistles  of  S.  John  were  probably  written  at 
Ephesus  during  his  last  years.  1  John  is  addressed  to  the 
Church  generally,  and  especially  to  Gentile  Christians  in 
Asia  Minor.  Its  recurring  thoughts  are  Light,  Life,  Truth, 
Abiding,  and  above  all  Love  ;  and  its  keynote  is  Eternal 
Life  through  the  Incarnation  of  the  Eternal  Word. 

2  John,  one  of  the  three  private  letters  in  the  New 
Testament  which    illustrate   Christian    intercourse   rather 


23S  NINTH  TERM. 

than  Christian  doctrine,  is  addressed  to  a  lady  of  uncertain 
name  and  abode,  with  her  children.  This  fact  in  itself  in- 
dicates the  new  value  attached  to  womanhood  and  child- 
hood in  Christ.  Its  keynote  is  Love  in  truth  and  truth  in 
love. 

3  John  is  addressed  to  a  hospitable  Christian  who  bore 
the  common  name  of  Gaius.  Its  keynote  is  Imitate  not 
the  evil,  but  the  good.  The  use  of  the  word  "  friends  "  in 
the  last  clause  is  peculiar  to  S  John.  Comp.  John  xi.  n, 
xv.  14,  15. 

All  that  S.  John  teaches  might  be  inferred  from  S.  Paul's 
writings,  but  the  last  of  the  Apostles  sums  up  Divine  revela- 
tion in  a  clear  and  final  exposition  of  loftiest  truth,  which 
transcends  the  controversies  of  earlier  days.  The  Judaic 
question  has  fallen  into  the  background ;  and  S.  John 
opposes  those  subsequent  heresies  which  all  began  and 
ended  with  denial  of  the  doctrine  that  Christ  is  truly  God 
and  truly  Man,  by  showing  forth  truth  rather  than  com- 
batting error.  He  makes  three  great  declarations  about 
God.  God  is  Light,  God  is  Love,  God  is  Righteous.  He 
expresses  our  Christian  privileges  through  three  conceptions 
brought  out  through  a  threefold  metaphor,  (a)  That  of 
Righteousness  from  the  law  court,  looking  at  Christ  as  the 
Righteous  One  (1  John  ii.  1,  29).  (d)  That  of  Sonship 
from  the  household,  looking  at  Christ  as  the  Son  (1  John 
iii.  1,  8).  (c)  That  of  Sanctification  from  the  Temple, 
looking  at  Christ  as  the  Holy  One  sacrificed  (1  John  iii. 
3,  5,  i.  7).  He  uses  eternal,  not  in  antithesis  to  temporal, 
but  to  seen.  He  speaks  of  eternal  life,  not  as  that  which 
shall  be,  but  as  that  which  is  for  all  believers. 

Revelation.  That  this  is  a  work  by  S.  John  of  special 
value  and  importance,  forming  a  fit  climax  to  the  whole 
Word  of  God,  is  certain.  Its  exact  date  and  its  meaning 
are  far  less  easily  determined.  Internal  evidence  con- 
nects it  with  two  startling  and  most  important  events, 
the  first  great  outbreak  of  Heathen  Persecution  by  Nero 
in  64,  when  all  the  world  hated  the  Christians  on  the  false 
charge  that  the  Christians  hated  all  the  world  ;  and  the 
Fall  of  the  Jewish  Nation  (66 — 70).  Those  who  had  lived 
through  the  anguish  and  tumult  of  that  time,  and  seen  its 
awful  bloodshed,  would  find  more  than  poetic  metaphor  in 


BOOKS  TO  BE  READ.  289 

such  passages  as  Rev.  xiv.  19,  20.  If  written  then  it  is 
S.  John's  earliest  work.  But  external  evidence  connects  it 
with  the  Second  Persecution  of  the  Church  by  Domitian 
in  96,  and  some  of  its  pictures  of  judgment  seem  drawn 
from  the  eruption  of  Vesuvius  in  79,  which  must  have 
made  an  even  deeper  and  wider  impression  than  Uzziah's 
earthquake  of  old  (Amos  i.  1).  In  any  case,  S.  John's 
Gospel,  in  which  we  find  the  deepest  teaching  of  the  whole 
Bible,  was  doubtless  later  than  the  Apocalypse ;  yet  our 
Cycle  most  fitly  completes  its  revolution  with  this  New 
Testament  counterpart  of  Daniel.  For  (a)  Its  new  Heavens 
and  Earth,  its  Paradise,  and  River,  and  Tree  of  Life,  its  gold 
and  pearl  and  precious  stones,  its  Bridegroom  and  Bride 
carry  us  back  to  the  first  pages  of  revelation,  and  show 
how  God's  will  regarding  man,  though  thwarted  for  a  time, 
will  be  gloriously  fulfilled  to  all  eternity.  (J?)  It  is  the  last 
magnificent  development  of  divinely  inspired  prophecy. 
(<:)  It  possesses  at  once  the  unity  of  a  great  poem,  and  the 
gorgeousness  of  a  dream,  and  thus  closes  the  diapason 
with  a  transcendent  note  of  music,  (d)  It  gathers  up  all 
the  rest  of  the  Bible  in  its  allusions,  and  looks  furthest  into 
the  future,  (e)  "  The  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ  "  (that  is 
the  correct  name  of  a  book  often  ignorantly  called  "  The 
Revelations  of  John  ")  is  the  last  gift  of  the  glorified  Saviour 
to  His  Church.  Old  Testament  witness  beforehand,  New 
Testament  preparatory  prophecy,  Christ's  own  witness  to 
Himself  on  earth,  and  the  Apostolic  witness  to  Him  later 
on,  are  all  consummated  by  His  final  witness  to  Himself 
from  Heaven.  Its  keynote  is  The  revelation  of  the  Risen 
Christ  as  the  Lord  God. 

Rev.  i.  19  is  a  table  of  contents  for  the  whole  book.  Ch. 
i.  refers  to  the  Past,  chs.  ii.,  iii.  to  the  Present.  Chs. 
iv. — xxii.  contain  visions  certainly  past  as  visions  when 
S.  John  described  them,  and  certainly  prefiguring  things 
that  were  Future  to  him.  The  question  is  how  far  are 
they  future  for  us  ?  Here  interpreters  of  three  different 
schools  come  forward. 

(a)  The  Prcetetists,  who  point  to  the  word  "shortly"  in 
Rev.  i.  1,  and  say  that  they  have  been  fulfilled  in  the  past. 
Sodom  is  Jerusalem,  Babylon  is  heathen  Rome  ;  and  the 
book  finds  its  great  and  sufficient  theme  in  the  downfall 

19 


290  NIN1H  TERM. 

of  these  two  cities  which  had  drunk  so  deeply  of  the  blood 
of  the  saints.  Just  as  Daniel's  "  vile  person  "  was  Antiochus 
Epiphanes,  so  Nero,  to  whom  divine  honours  were  blasphe- 
mously paid,  is  the  Beast  out  of  the  Sea,  and  the  Beast 
out  of  the  earth  (evidently  the  same  as  the  False  Prophet) 
is  probably  Simon  Magus.  The  Sun-clad  Woman  is  the 
Primitive  Church  in  its  flight  to  Pella.  The  earliest 
commentators  favour  this  interpretation,  and  a  general 
expectation  that  the  world  would  end  in  A.D.  iooo  sprang 
out  of  dating  the  iooo  years  of  Rev.  xx.  4  from  the 
foundation  of  the  Church. 

(b)  The  Presentists,  or  Historical  School,  who  say  that 
they  are  being  fulfilled  in  the  present,  that  Revelation  is  a 
synopsis  of  anticipated  history,  either  of  the  whole  world 
or  of  the  Church.  This  view  is  not  much  more  than  600 
years  old,  and  the  greatest  diversity  exists  among  its 
exponents  as  to  the  application  of  details,  and  the  point 
we  have  now  reached  chronologically. 

(V)  The  Futurists,  who  say  that  they  are  to  be  fulfilled 
in  the  future.  Between  ch.  iii.  and  ch.  iv.  there  is  a  gap  of 
at  least  1800  years.  These  interpreters  have  generally 
been  few  in  number,  but  they  have  had  representatives  in 
all    ages. 

Without  attempting  to  judge  between  the  three  views, 
one  or  two  principles  may  be  laid  down  for  those  students 
of  Scripture  who  do  not  undertake  to  be  authoritative 
exponents  of  it. 

(1)  The  Apocalypse  is  a  book  of  signs,  and  the  use  of 
similar  signs  elsewhere  will  be  our  best  key  to  them.  We 
must  be  consistent  in  our  explanations.  A  dried-up  river 
is  more  possible  than  a  woman  riding  a  seven-headed 
beast.  We  are  not  therefore  to  regard  one  as  literal  and 
the  other  as  figurative. 

(2)  No  book  is  so  saturated  with  Old  Testament  allusion. 
Hence  the  Old  Testament  meanings  of  the  various  things 
alluded  to  must  be  reckoned  with. 

(3)  Our  own  century  and  continent  are  large  to  us  out 
of  proportion  to  their  real  size.  Hence  those  whose 
knowledge  of  other  ages  and  regions  is  limited  rashly 
assert  that  the  Apocalypse  is  full  of  the  events  of  to-day. 

(4)  "  Divine  prophecies,"  says  Bacon,  "  have  steps  and 


PERIODS  AND  DATES.  291 

grades  of  fulfilment  through  divers  ages."  Just  as  Old  Testa- 
ment prophecies  had  primary  reference  to  David  and 
ultimate  reference  to  Christ,  so  S.  John's  visions  were  for 
his  own  generation,  and  referred  to  events  of  his  own  age 
in  the  first  instance.  This  does  not  exclude  the  possibility 
of  a  wider  reference  to  ages  yet  to  come. 

(5)  Study  of  the  history  of  the  first  century  will  to  some 
extent  unravel  the  primary  reference.  The  ultimate  re- 
ference must  remain  more  or  less  dim  until  all  is  fulfilled. 

(6)  Meanwhile  the  preciousness  and  sacredness  of  the 
book  lie  deeper  than  either.  Whatever  its  details  mean, 
it  enunciates  two  things  unmistakably,  (a)  As  "  a  Christian 
philosophy  of  history,"  it  shows  that  the  affairs  of  men  in 
all  ages  and  places  are  governed  by  God.  (J?)  It  also  shows 
that  although  falsehood  and  evil  are  potent,  truth  and 
goodness  will  prove  omnipotent  in  the  world  which  a  good 
God  made.  Christ  will  triumph.  Those  who  hate  Him 
will  perish,  those  who  love  Him  will  be  unspeakably  blest. 
Could  the  persecuted  Church,  feeble,  despised,  and  opposed 
by  both  the  "  religious  "  and  the  secular  world,  have  met  her 
foes  without  the  spiritual  tonic  of  this  Divine  encourage- 
ment? 

III.  Periods  and  Dates. 

That  Claudius  expelled  the  Jews  from  Rome  in  A.D.  52, 
that  Festus  became  Procurator  in  A.D.  60,  and  that  Nero's 
persecution  of  the  Christians  took  place  in  A.D.  64,  are  the 
only  fixed  points  from  which  we  can  calculate  the  chro- 
nology of  these  46  years.  We  may  fairly  think  of  S.  John's 
life  as  closing  with  the  first  Christian  century,  but  the  actual 
dates  assigned  to  its  close  vary  from  89  to  120.  For  the 
details  of  S.  Paul's  journeys  see  "Oxford  Helps,"  §§  xxiv. 
and  xxv.,  and  refer  again  to  the  lists  of  rulers  on  p.  228. 

(1)  A.D.  51  to  Pentecost  54  (3  years).     From  the  Con- 

ference at  Jerusalem  to  S.  Paul's  last  return  to 
Antioch.  5.  Paul's  Second  Journey.  Acts  xv. — xviii. 
17 ;  1  Thessaloniaiis ;  2  Thessalonians ;  Acts  xviii.  18-22. 

(2)  A.D.  54  to  Pentecost  58  (4  years).     From  S.  Paul's 

last  return  to  Antioch  to  his  Imprisonment.  St. 
Paul's    Third   Journey.      Acts    xviii.   23 — xix.   20; 


2Q2  NINTH  TERM. 

1  Corinthians ;  Acts  xix.  21 — xx.  1 ;  2  Corinthians ; 
Acts  xx.  2 ;  Galatians  ;  Romans ;  Acts  xx.  3 — xxiii. 

(3)  A.D.  58 — 63  (5  years).    From  S.  Paul's  Imprisonment 

to  his  Liberation.  6*.  Paul's  Captivity  at  CcBsarea 
and  Rome.  Acts  xxiv. — xxviii. ;  Philippians  ;  Colos- 
sians;  Philemon;  Ephesians. 

(4)  A.D.   63 — 67  (4  years).     From  S.  Paul's   Liberation 

to  his  Martyrdom.  5.  Paul's  Fourth  Journey. 
1  Timothy ;  Titus ;  2  Timothy. 

(5)  A.D.  67—97  (3°  years).     From  S.  Paul's  Martyrdom 

to  the  close  of  the  New  Testament  Canon.  The 
Last  of  the  Apostles.     1,  2,  3,  John ;  Revelation. 

IV.  Geography. 
(See  "  Oxford  Helps,"  Maps  X.,  XL,  XII.) 

Jerusalem,  whose  church  S.  Peter  founded,  became  the 
first  metropolis  of  Christianity,  and  these  five  visits  paid 
to  it  by  S.  Paul  form  useful  landmarks  in  his  history. 
(1)  Alone  in  A.D.  40  to  see  Peter  (Gal.  i.)  ;  (2)  with  Barna- 
bas in  44  to  bring  his  collection  (Acts  xi.  30)  ;  (3)  with 
Barnabas  in  51  to  report  upon  the  evangelisation  of  the 
Gentiles  ;  (Acts  xv.)  ;  (4)  with  Silas  and  Timothy  in  54 
to  salute  the  church  and  keep  Pentecost  (Acts  xviii.)  ; 
(5)  with  Luke,  Aristarchus,  Timothy,  Trophimus,  and 
others  in  58  to  keep  Pentecost  and  bring  his  collection 
(Acts  xxi.).  The  extension  of  the  Church  from  Jerusalem 
through  three  different  areas,  orthodox,  heterodox  and 
heathen,  is  sketched  in  our  Lord's  very  last  words  on  earth, 
which  are  an  outline  of  all  subsequent  Church  history 
(Acts  i.  8). 

Antiochy  whose  church  S.  Barnabas  and  S.  Paul  founded, 
the  third  city  in  the  Roman  Empire,  became  the  second 
metropolis  of  Christianity  and  the  mother  church  of  all  the 
Gentile  churches.  In  his  first  journey  S.  Paul  went  to 
Cyprus  and  Asia  Minor,  in  his  second  he  re-visited  Syria 
and  Asia  Minor,  and  just  half-way  through  his  whole 
Christian  career  entered  Europe,  where  Philippi  and  Thes- 
salonica  in  Macedonia  and  Corinth  in  Achaia  became 
the  great  centres  of  Christianity.  In  his  third  journey  he 
re-visited  Asia  Minor  and  Greece,  but  spent  most  of  his 


GEOGRAPHY.  293 

time  at  Ephesus,  whose  church  he  founded,  which  became 
the  third  metropolis  of  Christianity.  Here  S.  John  com- 
pleted the  work  of  the  Apostles,  and  from  its  church  the 
Church  of  England  ultimately  traces  her  descent.  Then 
from  Caesarea,  Roman  capital  of  Palestine,  "  Paul  the 
prisoner  "  was  brought  to  Rome,  the  capital  of  the  whole 
empire,  which  became  the  fourth  metropolis  of  Christianity. 
Its  fifth  metropolis  was  Alexandria,  second  city  in  the 
empire,  whose  church,  probably  founded  by  S.  Mark,  has 
Apollos  for  its  chief  New  Testament  representative.  More 
than  two  centuries  later,  Constantinople,  the  first  city  which 
was  Christian  from  its  foundation,  became  the  sixth  metro- 
polis of  Christianity.  In  its  greatness  that  of  Ephesus  was 
merged  ;  and  omitting  Ephesus  these  five  cities  became 
the  seats  of  the  five  patriarchates  round  which  early  ecclesi- 
astical history  groups  itself. 

All  the  countries  which  Acts  ii.  9-1 1  enumerates  in  their 
exact  geographical  order  had  Christian  churches  planted  in 
them  by  the  end  of  the  first  century.  In  Palestine,  besides 
the  church  of  Jerusalem,  where  Simeon,  the  Lord's  brother, 
presided  over  a  feeble  remnant,  we  hear  of  churches  in 
Lydda,  Joppa,  Sharon,  Caesarea,  and  Samaria ;  and  of 
Syrian  churches  in  Tyre,  Ptolemais,  Antioch,  and  Damascus. 
In  Asia  Minor,  where  we  perceive  greatest  mixture  of 
race  in  narrowest  compass,  where  Jewish  faith,  Greek 
culture,  and  Roman  power  all  influenced  the  original  in- 
habitants, churches  grew  apace,  and  were  some  of  them 
old  enough  to  have  lost  their  first  love  when  the  Beloved 
Disciple  presided  in  their  midst.  There  were  churches  in 
Cyprus  (whose  ancient  church  still  preserves  its  indepen- 
dence through  an  almost  unique  history),  Macedonia, 
Achaia,  Crete,  Illyricum,  and  Dalmatia,  for  all  of  which 
S.  Paul  himself  had  laboured  fervently. 

From  Rome  the  Gospel  had  spread  westward,  ever 
following  the  course  of  the  sun,  to  Spain  and  Gaul ;  it  had 
also  reached  Carthage  and  Egypt  and  Ethiopia  in  the 
south ;  and  in  the  east  Armenia,  Persia,  Parthia,  Arabia, 
and  perhaps  India  ;  beginning  in  most  cases  in  the  syna- 
gogue, and  spreading  from  Jew  and  proselyte  to  heathen. 
For  in  those  days  every  Christian  was  a  missionary,  and 
wherever  he  went  throughout  the  empire  he  was  received 


294  NINTH   TERM. 

as  a  brother  by  humble  little  companies  of  fellow-believers. 
The  "  Barbarians  "  outside  the  empire  had  not  yet  been 
reached,  but  there  were  Christians  in  regions  too  distant  to 
contain  a  church,  and  Christian  influences  slowly  quicken- 
ing and  purifying  human  life  in  all  its  phases  in  regions 
which  no  Christian  had  yet  reached.  The  story  is  repeating 
itself  to-day  in  not  a  few  of  "  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth"  ;  and  now,  as  then,  we  know  that  the  issue  is  certain 
and  glorious. 

V.  Heroes. 

-rr         .      (  5.  Paul,  Psalm  cxvi.  10,  16  (A.V.). 
Keynotes  ^  s  johflj  DarL  x>  8>  9>  l8j  I9< 

Among  Israel's  many  great  men  three  stand  out  pre- 
eminent as  her  greatest — viz.,  Moses,  of  Levi,  the  founder 
of  her  religion  and  polity  ;  David,  of  Judah,  the  founder 
of  her  everlasting  monarchy  ;  and  S.  Paul,  of  Benjamin, 
the  chief  builder  of  the  Church,  in  which  both  her  religion 
and  her  monarchy  are  to  find  their  highest  realisation. 
Imagine  for  a  moment  the  Bible  deprived  of  the  Pentateuch, 
the  Psalms,  and  the  Epistles  of  S.  Paul,  and  you  will  to 
some  extent  estimate  the  importance  of  these  three.  The 
commanding  personality  of  the  last  dominates  all  our 
reading  this  term;  he  occupies  17  out  of  the  28  chapters 
of  the  first  Church  history,  and  writes  13  out  of  the  27 
books  of  the  New  Testament.  He  was  the  first  and 
greatest  of  missionaries  to  foreign  parts,  the  Christian  who 
did  the  grandest  life-work  for  Christ  on  record,  the  man  who 
received  from  Christ's  own  lips  the  most  ample  and  splendid 
commission  human  being  was  ever  honoured  with  (Acts 
xxvi.  16-18).  How  many  events  there  were  in  his  life  of 
which  we  know  nothing  may  be  gathered  from  2  Cor.  xi., 
yet  "  there  is  scarce  one  other  person  of  history,"  says 
Dean  Vaughan,  "  so  familiarly  known  to  us,  Cicero  perhaps 
— perhaps  Napoleon — I  could  scarcely  name  a  third."  A 
great  spiritual  convulsion  cleft  his  career  in  twain,  when 
"  Saul  the  Pharisee "  became  "  Paul  the  Bondservant  of 
Jesus  Christ."  In  a  moment  he  turned,  not  from  an 
irreligious  to  a  religious  life,  not  from  an  immoral  to  a 
moral  life    but  from  a  conscientious  and  honoured  anta- 


HEROES.  295 

gonism  against  Christ  to  a  conscientious  and  passionate 
devotion  for  Christ  that  cost  him  everything  most  men 
hold  dear.  God  revealed  His  Son  to  him,  Christ  appre- 
hended him,  that  is  the  only  reasonable  explanation  of 
this  sudden  and  absolute  change.  Rightly  understood,  the 
story  of  his  "  wonderful  conversion  "  checks  doubt  as  to 
the  possibility  or  reality  of  conversion  to  God  ;  it  also 
checks  glib  talk  about  conversion  as  if  it  meant  no  more 
than  external  reformation,  or  change  of  religious  opinion, 
or  strong  spasm  of  feeling.  And  although  his  conversion 
was  instantaneous,  and  his  knowledge  of  Christ  direct  and 
all-convincing,  his  public  testimony  to  the  truth  was  pre- 
ceded by  three  years  of  solitary  thought  and  prayer  (Gal. 
i.  17,  18),  spent  in  that  wilderness  where  Moses  was  taught 
of  God,  and  where  perhaps  Christ,  as  true  Man,  stood  the 
test  of  temptation.  A  pupil  of  Gamaliel  and  member  of 
the  Sanhedrin,  a  native  of  Tarsus,  and  a  Roman  citizen, 
he  had  been  influenced  by  the  religious  enlightenment  of 
the  Jews,  the  intellectual  sovereignty  of  the  Greeks,  and 
the  political  supremacy  of  the  Romans,  and  so  became  a 
highly  trained  instrument  in  God's  hands.  For  30  years 
a  Christian,  for  27  years  a  missionary,  by  his  unflinching 
endurance  of  keenest  temptation,  sorrow,  and  persecution, 
he  not  only  gave  proof  of  the  reality  of  his  conversion,  but 
of  the  power  and  reality  of  the  Gospel  to  which  he  had 
been  converted.  The  man  who  had  amplest  opportunity 
and  strongest  inducement  to  disprove  the  Resurrection  of 
Christ,  had  it  been  a  delusion  or  an  imposture  (as  some 
try  to  assume),  sacrificed  all  to  witness  to  it  as  a  great  fact. 
And  this  witness  is  mighty  in  our  days  as  well  as  in  his. 

Notice  also  that  he  is,  of  all  missionaries,  the  most 
representative,  for  he  dealt  with  all  sorts  and  conditions 
of  men,  bigoted  Pharisee,  sceptical  Sadducee,  time-serving 
Herodian,  serious  Jew,  trifling  Greek,  practical  Roman, 
dreamy  Oriental,  and  impulsive  Barbarian.  And  his  work 
was  done  in  face  of  obstacles  from  without  and  from  within 
that  would  have  baffled  most  men.  What  his  thorn  (or 
stake)  in  the  flesh  actually  was  we  cannot  know  certainly, 
but  careful  comparison  of  Acts  xxiii.  5  ;  Gal.  iv.  12-16,  vi. 
17,  11  (R.V.);  1  Cor.  ii.  3;  2  Cor.  iv.  10,  v.  4,vii.  5,  x.  1,  10  ; 
Col.  i.  24,  indicates  that  it  was  an  acute  form  of  Oriental 


296  NINTH  TERM. 

ophthalmia,  which  renders  the  sufferer  blind  and  helpless, 
and  is  at  once  painful  and  disfiguring.  If  he  were  indeed 
liable  to  such  a  malady,  he  would  be  unusually  dependent 
upon  companionship;  and  like  Jeremiah,  he  was  surrounded 
by  a  group  of  devoted  followers  and  friends,  each  of 
whom  deserves  separate  study. 

We  owe  S.  Paul  three  debts  of  the  first  magnitude  :— 
(i)  The  emergence  of  Christianity  from  Judaism  ;  (2)  the 
planting  of  the  Gospel  in  what  is  now  the  Christian  con- 
tinent ;  (3)  the  shaping  of  Christian  theology,  in  works 
whose  renewed  study  has  again  and  again  brought  renewed 
spiritual  life  to  different  ages  and  different  sons  of  the 
Church.  How  little  he  himself  knew  what  his  consecrated 
genius  was  achieving !  How  little  can  we  judge  his  mis- 
sionary successors  by  what  they  seem  to  their  own  genera- 
tion to  accomplish ! 

5.  John's  piety,  like  that  of  Samuel,  ripened  by  gradual 
stages  without  violent  break,  from  the  day  that  he  followed 
Jesus,  as  a  young  and  ardent  disciple  of  the  Baptist,  to  the 
day  when  he  was  carried  in  extreme  old  age  into  the  church 
at  Ephesus  to  preach  his  last  sermon,  "  Little  children,  love 
one  another,"  to  a  new  generation  in  the  new  age  which 
he  had  lived  to  see.  His  calm,  certain,  didactic  style  differs 
widely  from  the  enthusiastic  argumentation  of  S.  Paul.  His 
power  of  righteous  indignation,  and  that  bold  faithfulness 
which  brought  him  only  of  the  Twelve  to  the  foot  of  the 
Cross,  show  that  he  is  most  inadequately  represented  by 
the  feminine-looking  youthful  S.  John  of  mediaeval  art. 

The  first  age  of  the  Church's  history  exhibits  three  types 
of  the  Apostolate  reflected  in  three  successive  phases  of 
that  history.  A  prism  analyses  the  one  brightness  into 
three  distinct  hues,  so  the  one  faith  is  seen,  to  our  no 
small  advantage,  through  three  individualities.  S.  Peter, 
the  founder,  looking  back  to  the  past,  dwells  on  Hope  and 
Christian  practice,  and  is  reflected  in  the  Mediaeval  Church. 
S.  Paul,  the  propagator,  looking  at  the  present,  dwells  on 
Faith  and  Christian  doctrine,  and  is  reflected  in  the  Church 
of  the  Reformation.  S.  John,  the  consummator,  looking 
far  into  the  future,  dwells  on  Love  and  Christian  experience, 
and  foreshadows  a  type  yet  to  come. 

This    chapter    has    dealt    wholly    with    men    hitherto. 


THE  COMING  ONE.  297 

Women  there  are  in  Old  Testament  history  of  striking 
character  and  great  influence,  but  the  mention  of  "the 
women  "  in  Acts  i.  14  inaugurates  a  new  order  of  things. 
Never  did  any  woman  directly  oppose  Christ  Women 
ministered  to  Him  (Luke  viii.  2,  3  ;  Matt,  xxvii.  55)  and 
spake  of  Him  (Luke  ii.  38  ;  John  iv.  39 ;  Matt,  xxviii.  5,  7). 
Women  were  last  at  His  cross  and  first  at  His  tomb,  and 
when  He  rose  He  appeared  twice  to  women  ere  He  appeared 
to  any  man.  Woman's  true  exaltation  must  be  traced  to 
and  can  only  be  rightly  recognised  in  connexion  with  Him 
who  deigned  to  be  born  of  a  virgin  ;  and  the  large  and 
fruitful  share  which  women  from  the  first  took  in  the 
highest  work  of  the  Church  calls  upon  us  to  note  heroines 
as  well  as  heroes  henceforth. 

VI.  The  Coming  One. 

"  Christ  shall  appear  a  second  time  to  them  that  wait 
for  Him,  unto  salvation!' — Heb.  ix.  28. 

Each  term  we  have  seen  the  Hope  of  the  Promise 
broadening  and  brightening,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
God-sent  Deliverer  had  come  and  gone  that  inspired  pens 
could  sum  up  all  that  He  was  and  all  that  He  had  done. 
Again  and  again  history  has  shown  that  a  creed  based 
upon  the  idea  that  Christ  was  merely  the  wisest  and  best 
of  men,  who  died  a  martyr's  death,  is  powerless  over  men's 
hearts  and  quickly  vanishes  away.  If  Christianity  is  to 
be  more  than  a  vague  sentiment  or  a  dead  morality,  it 
must  be  founded  upon  three  foundation  truths  concerning 
Him.  All  have  been  taught  at  all  times  by  the  Catholic 
Church,  but  all  have  not  always  been  equally  prominent : — 

(a)  His  Resurrection.  "  God  raised  Him  "  was  the  key- 
note of  S.  Peter's  teaching  (Acts  ii.  32),  the  first  great 
startling  witness  to  the  world  (Acts  xxv.  19). 

(J?)  His  Crucifixion.  "  He  gave  Himself  for  us  "  was  the 
keynote  of  S.  Paul's  teaching  (1  Cor.  ii.  2).  And  He  had 
Himself  clearly  alluded  to  His  atoning  work,  saying  that 
He  would  and  could  be  a  Ransom  for  the  remission  of 
sins,  because  He  was  both  Human  and  Divine  (Matt.  xx. 
28,  xxvi.  28,  63,  64). 

(c)  His  Incarnation.     "  He  became  flesh  "  was  the  key- 


298  NINTH  TERM. 

note  of  S.  John's  teaching  (John  i.  14  ;  1  John  iv.  2,  3). 
The  Church  is  only  now  entering  upon  her  full  heritage 
in  this  glorious  truth  of  the  Divine  Man  and  Incarnate 
God,  and  never  has  it  seemed  of  such  paramount  impor- 
tance as  it  seems  to-day. 

Christ  Incarnate,  Crucified,  Risen,  reversing  the  order 
of  time,  these  truths  were  successively  insisted  upon  ;  and 
there  is  yet  a  fourth  truth  at  once  earliest  and  latest  of  all  : 
Christ  Ascended  and  Coming  Again  (1  Cor.  xvi.  22,  R.V.). 
We  end  as  we  began  our  consideration  of  the  Coming  One 
by  looking  out  into  the  future.  The  Old  Testament  Hope 
has  been  fulfilled  ;  our  "  living  Hope  "  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment has  yet  to  be  fulfilled.  We  stand,  as  S.  Paul  so 
often  shows,  between  the  epiphany  of  His  grace  in  the 
past,  and  the  epiphany  of  His  glory  in  the  future,  and 
find  a  motive  power  for  the  present  in  both  (Titus  ii.  11-13, 
R.V.). 

Four  events,  each  twofold,  in  that  future  of  the  world's 
history  which  we  sometimes  wrongly  regard  as  an  abso- 
lutely blank  page,  have  been  revealed  to  us  (Rev.  i.  1-3). 

{a)  Christ  will  come  for  His  saints  to  receive  His  own 
to  Himself  (1  Thess.  iv.).  Christ  will  come  with  His  saints 
to  be  seen  and  known  of  all  men  (2  Thess.  i.  ;  Rev.  i.  7). 

{p)  There  will  be  a  first  resurrection  of  those  who  are 
His,  and  a  second  resurrection  of  the  rest  of  mankind 
(Rev.  xx.). 

(c)  Christ  will  judge  His  saints  that  they  may  be  rewarded 
according  to  their  works  (2  Cor.  v.  9,  10).  Christ  will  judge 
the  whole  world  (Rev.  xx.). 

{d)  Christ  will  reign  a  thousand  years  over  the  earth 
(Rev.  xx.).  Christ  will  reign  for  ever  over  the  universe 
(Rev.  xi.  15). 

Four  names  are  given  to  this  great  group  of  events  in  the 
New  Testament :  (1)  That  Day  (2  Thess.  i.  10),  the  Great 
Day  (Jude  6),  or  the  Day  of  God  (2  Peter  iii.  12),  or  the 
Day  of  the  Lord  (1  Thess.  v.  2),  or  the  Day  of  Jesus  Christ 
(Phil.  i.  6),  or  the  Day  of  our  Lord  Jesus  (2  Cor.  i.  14). 
(2)  The  Coming  (or  Presence)  of  Christ,  used  seventeen 
times  in  all,  and  especially  in  the  Epistles  to  the  Thes- 
salonians.  (3)  The  Appearing  (or  Epiphany)  of  Christ' 
used  seven  times  in  the  Pastoral  Epistles,  and  not  else- 


GOD'S  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF   TO  MAN.      299 

where.  (4)  The  End  or  Consummation  of  all  things 
(1  Peter  iv.  7). 

Nothing  less  will  solve  all  problems  and  abolish  all  evils, 
will  carry  out  those  purposes  of  God  which  for  a  while  were 
thwarted,  will  bring  about  our  individual  satisfaction  and 
perfection,  and  the  perfection  and  happiness  of  the  world 
Christ  came  to  redeem,  than  this  "  one  far-off  divine  event, 
To  which  the  whole  creation  moves."  Unhappily  contro- 
versy and  speculation  have  been  imported  into  the  whole 
subject  to  such  an  extent  that  many  Christians  are  not  a 
little  hindered  and  troubled  in  its  study,  and  others  doubt 
that  the  second  Advent  will  be  literal.  But  most  of 
the  arguments  against  a  literal  second  Coming  of  Christ 
are  equally  applicable  to  His  first  Coming,  which  certainly 
was  literal.  A  merely  figurative  coming  would  contradict 
the  "  again "  of  John  xiv.  3,  and  the  emphatic  "  in  like 
manner  "  of  Acts  i.  1 1. 

And  as  the  Jews  were  blamed  for  not  being  better 
prepared  by  prophecy  for  the  First  Coming,  so  may  we  be 
blamed,  if  we  do  not  discern  in  part  that  which  has  still  to 
be  fully  revealed.  As  usual,  the  fulfilled  prophecy  of  the 
Old  Testament  is  the  best  key  to  the  unfulfilled  prophecy 
of  the  New  Testament. 

VII.  God's  Revelation  of  Himself  to  Man. 

Legend  says  that  the  Apostles,  ere  they  dispersed  from 
Jerusalem  twelve  years  after  the  Ascension,  assembled  to 
shape  the  Apostles'  Creed  as  an  authoritative  statement  of 
Christian  doctrine.  The  fact  underlying  this  tale  is  that 
from  earliest  times  there  was  definite  teaching  of  the  leading 
mysteries  of  the  faith,  and  before  truth  was  fully  expounded 
in  the  New  Testament,  terse  summaries  of  it,  as  keys  to 
Scripture  and  safeguards  against  error,  were  current  in  the 
Church.  We  are  not  to  regard  them  as  human  attempts 
to  define  Divine  mysteries,  but  as  formulating  truth  which 
God  had  already  revealed.  The  earliest  examples  of  them 
are  Acts  viii.  37  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  3-7  ;  Heb.  vi.  1,  2  ;  1  Tim.  iii. 
16,  and  the  "  faithful  sayings "  of  the  Pastoral  Epistles. 
Two  creeds  are  now  recognised  throughout  the  whole 
Church.     The    Apostles'    Creed,    whose   substance   can    be 


300  NINTH  TERM. 

traced  back  to  earliest  times,  originating  in  the  baptismal 
profession,  and  still  used  for  the  testing  and  instructing  of 
catechumens.  The  Nicene  Creed,  shaped  in  325  at  the 
First  General  Council,  and  used  as  a  fuller  and  deeper  ex- 
position of  truth  for  testing  and  instructing  communicants. 
The  Western,  but  not  the  Eastern  Church,  adds  for  the 
last  1 100  years  to  these  the  Athanasian  Creed,  a  masterly- 
exposition,  for  the  teacher,  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Trinity 
and  of  the  Incarnation. 

The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  cannot  be  explained  to  our 
natural  faculties  (though  nature  illustrates  it  in  our  own 
threefold  being,  1  Thess.  v.  23)  ;  and  the  Scriptures  contain 
no  formal  expression  of  it.  For  there  was  much  that 
Christ  Himself  could  not  say  till  He  had  risen,  much  that 
the  Apostles  only  learned  slowly  under  the  Spirit's  guidance 
as  they  looked  back  to  His  earthly  and  up  to  His  heavenly 
life.  But  all  the  following  passages  imply  it,  just  as  Gen.  i. 
implies  without  stating  the  existence  of  God  :  Acts  vii.  55, 
x.  38;  Rom.  i.  4  ;  2  Cor.  xiii.  14  ;  2  Thess.  iii.  5  (comp.  Rom. 
v.  5)  ;  Eph.  ii.  18,  iii.  14,  16,  17,  iv.  4-6  ;  1  Peter  i.  2  ;  Rev.  i. 
4,  5.  Notice  also  that  the  Creeds  fix  our  attention  not  on 
what  we  are  and  should  do,  but  on  what  Christ  is  and  has 
done  (contrast  Luke  xviii.  1 1  and  Heb.  xii.  2),  and  that  God, 
Three  in  One,  is  revealed  to  us,  not  in  His  absolute  Being, 
but  in  His  relation  to  ourselves.  Some  bond  of  union 
among  men  connecting  each  with  all  through  something 
higher  than  themselves  has,  in  all  ages,  been  the  need  of 
the  human  heart,  but  no  age  has  felt  and  expressed  that 
need  so  strongly  as  our  own.  So  acknowledged  the  intelli- 
gent artizan,  who  was  uttering  some  well-worn  cavil  at  the 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  to  one  of  our  bishops  lately.  The 
bishop  silenced  his  cavil,  and  won  him  to  holier  and  truer 
thought  of  God  by  translating  that  abstract  theological 
mystery  into  language  he  could  comprehend,  thus  :  "  The 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity  expresses  three  things,  the  Father- 
hood of  God,  the  Brotherhood  of  God,  the  Mateship  of  God." 

What  is  this  new  relation  of  God  to  men  of  which  the 
Christian  revelation  speaks  ?  We  may  put  the  matter 
briefly  thus.  Unless  thought  is  wholly  drowned  in  pleasure 
and  excitement  or  worldly  care,  every  man  is  conscious  of 
two  things — (a)  That  apart  from  vice  whereby  we  wrong 


GOD'S  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF  TO  MAN      301 

ourselves,  and  crime  whereby  we  wrong  others,  there  is  also 
in  us  sin  whereby  we  wrong  God.  (J?)  That  this  sin  is  un- 
natural, i.e.,  is  not  part  of  God's  law  for  man,  but  a  bondage 
whence  we  would  fain  be  delivered,  and  whence  no  outward 
religious  rites  and  no  good  resolutions  can  really  deliver  us. 
So  we  are  led  to  seek  and  to  find  a  Saviour  in  Christ. 

How  does  Christ  save?  He  bore,  say  some,  as  my 
Substitute,  all  the  punishment  that  I  deserved  to  bear. 
God,  like  a  judge  who  arbitrarily  allows  an  innocent  man  to 
endure  the  sentence  that  a  criminal  has  incurred,  setting 
the  criminal  free,  has  thus  been  reconciled  to  me,  and  will 
take  me  to  heaven  if  I  believe  that  Christ  has  done  this. 
This  too  common  but  most  inadequate  setting  forth  of  the 
gospel  illustrates  it  by  the  imaginary  act  of  a  human  judge 
who  is  guilty  of  a  double  outrage  upon  justice.  But  right- 
eousness demands  righteousness,  and  cannot  accept  mere 
punishment  instead.  The  Scriptural  view  (as  careful 
students  of  S.  Paul's  Epistles  especially  will  see  for  them- 
selves) is  this  :  Christ,  as  my  Representative,  assumed  that 
humanity  which  He  had  originally  created  in  His  own  image, 
conquered  where  Adam  fell,  and  by  enduring  death  con- 
demned sin,  and  saved  sinners  by  uniting  them  to  Him- 
self. Thus  He  reconciled,  not  God  to  me,  but  me  to  God, 
who  in  His  wondrous  love  had  given  His  Son  for  us  men 
and  for  our  salvation.  He  died,  and  I  died  in  Him,  and 
must  therefore  reckon  myself  dead  to  sin.  He  lives,  and  I 
live  in  Him,  and  must  therefore  live  unto  righteousness. 
He  gave  Himself  up  for  me,  and  I  must  therefore  give 
myself  up  to  Him,  not  by  mere  intellectual  assent  to  a 
doctrine,  but  by  personal  trust  in  a  personal  Saviour.  I 
strive,  not  upwards  to  salvation,  but  onwards  from  salva- 
tion, not  to  win  heaven  for  myself,  but  because  He  has  won 
it  for  me  "  by  His  precious  blood-shedding,"  and  calls  upon 
me  and  can  enable  me  to  walk  worthy  of  what  He  has  done. 

From  its  opening  assertion  of  a  Divine  Creator,  to  its 
closing  cry  heavenwards  of  a  definite  faith  and  certain 
hope  in  a  Divine  Redeemer,  the  Bible  makes  a  wondrous 
ascent.  Starting  from  the  being  of  God  and  the  spiritual 
nature  of  man,  it  leads  us"  up,  not  through  vague  proposi- 
tions, but  through  historical  verities,  to  that  unfathomable 
revelation  of  God  in  Christ  which  is  the  key  to  the  under- 


302  NINTH  TERM. 

standing  of  all  nature  and  all  history.  We  still,  it  is  true, 
know  only  in  part.  But  instead  of  mourning  over  the 
limitations  of  our  knowledge,  should  we  not  rather  rejoice 
that  we  have  an  inexhaustible  creed  and  an  unsearchable 
God?     (Rom.  xi.  33-6.) 

VIII.  Man's  Relation  to  God  in  Worship. 

Christ  left  the  preservation  and  propagation  of  the  truth 
He  taught  in  the  hands  of  the  Society  which  He  formed, 
a  body  of  men  all  united  to  each  other  because  they  were 
each  united  by  a  real  spiritual  tie  to  God,  in  the  world,  but 
not  of  the  world,  extending  to  all  races,  all  times,  and  all 
countries.  Acts  i.  I  strikes  the  keynote  of  the  whole  history 
of  the  Church  by  representing  its  work  as  the  continua- 
tion of  Christ's  own.  Its  power  depended  on  His  abiding 
Presence  (Matt,  xxviii.  20;  John  xiv.  18).  It  witnessed 
to  His  truth  in  four  ways  which  we  take  chronologically. 

(a)  By  its  two  Sacraments,  which  are  not  only  rites  of 
entrance  and  of  continued  membership  to  Christians,  but 
ever-recurring  declarations  to  the  world  of  their  faith 
(1  Tim.  vi.  12  ;  1  Cor.  xi.  26). 

(b)  By  its  sacred  Seasons.  Easter  and  Pentecost  seem 
to  have  passed  straight  into  the  Church  from  Judaism, 
their  new  significance  gradually  superseding  their  old  (1  Cor. 
v.  7,  8  ;  Acts -xx.  16).  The  Lord's  Day  as  a  weekly  festival 
of  the  Resurrection  also  replaced  the  Sabbath  (Acts  xx. 
7  ;  Rev.  i.  10).  That  weekly  celebration  of  the  Holy 
Communion  was  the  primitive  rule,  is  suggested  by  the 
New  Testament,  and  shown  clearly  in  a  recently  discovered 
treatise  called  "  The  Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles," 
which  is  probably  the  next  oldest  Christian  writing. 

(c)  By  the  New  Testament  Scriptures,  written  by  some 
of  its  members,  and  gathered  up  and  preserved  as  a 
divinely  inspired  book  by  the  whole  Church. 

(d)  By  the  Creeds,  and  by  the  various  liturgical  forms 
which  grew  up. 

In  some  ages,  Christians  have  been  content  to  listen 
only  to  the  spoken  testimony  of  the  Church  without 
verifying  her  teaching,  each  for  himself,  from  the  Bible. 
Then  truth  has  been  exaggerated  or  mutilated,  and  error 


MAN'S  RELATION  TO  GOD  IN  WORSHIP.         303 

has  grown  apace.  In  other  ages,  Christians  have  been 
content  to  listen  only  to  the  written  testimony  of  the 
Bible,  saying,  "  My  religion  is  a  matter  between  God  and 
my  own  soul,  and  concerns  no  one  else.  What  I  take 
to  be  the  meaning  of  His  word  is  the  measure  of  all  truth." 
Then  divisions  have  sprung  up,  and  internal  dissensions 
have  weakened  the  Church's  power  for  good.  Each  man, 
it  is  true,  is  directly  responsible  to  God  and  spiritually 
free.  But  each  as  a  Christian  is  also  member  of  a  corporate 
body.  The  Church,  as  the  "  witness  and  keeper  of  Holy 
Writ "  (Article  XX.),  testifies  to  the  inspiration  of  Scripture  ; 
Scripture  attests  the  truth  of  what  the  Church  teaches. 
We  must  not  separate  these  testimonies.  The  communion 
of  the  Church  and  the  study  of  the  Word  are  both  needed, 
and  beyond  and  above  both  we  must  learn,  through  the 
teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  from  the  Living  Christ 
Himself.  And  so  we  arrive  at  the  threefold  evidence  of 
Christianity,  (a)  The  personal  experience  of  Christians 
(John  ix.  25  ;  2  Cor.  iv.  13).  (J?)  The  New  Testament 
Scriptures,  which  have  just  come  victoriously  through  fifty 
years  of  the  ablest  and  keenest  hostile  criticism  to  which 
any  book  was  ever  subjected,  (c)  The  unbroken  chain  of 
living  witnesses,  ever  lengthening  and  ever  widening  with 
the  ages,  whose  daily  worship  for  more  than  i860  years 
has  borne  witness  to  a  history  for  whose  truth  hundreds, 
nay  millions,  have  been  ready  tc  vouch  with  their  lives. 
What  stronger  or  more  varied  authentication  could  any 
statements  have? 

For  the  regulation  of  worship,  the  maintenance  of  truth, 
and  the  preservation  of  unity,  provision  was  made  from 
the  first  for  a  succession  of  authorised  teachers  (2  Tim.  ii.  2). 
Regular  Christian  worship  grew  out  of  attendance  at 
the  daily  services  of  the  Temple  (Acts  iii.),  and  there  are 
many  traces  of  it  in  the  New  Testament  (Acts  ii.  42, 
iv.  24,  xiii.  3,  xx.  7  ;  1  Cor.  xiv.  ;  Heb.  x.  25).  The  first 
difference  of  opinion  that  arose  was  settled  at  the  first 
synod  of  the  Church  (Acts  xv.).  The  various  Christian 
communities  were  federated  into  one  Catholic  Church, 
and  although  sects  dropped  off  it  from  time  to  time,  it 
continued  one  in  intercommunion  until  1054.  But  the 
notion  that  the  Apostolic  Church  was  ideally  perfect  in 


3°4 


NINTH   TERM. 


knowledge  and  practice  is  most  misleading  and  dis- 
couraging. Like  other  kingdoms,  Christ's  Kingdom  con- 
tained both  loyal  and  disloyal  subjects,  and  from  the  very 
first  the  wheat  and  tares  grew  together,  discriminated  only 
by  God.  Church  history  includes  some  of  the  saddest  and 
most  disappointing  as  well  as  some  of  the  most  glorious 
pages  ever  penned.  Turbulent  self-conceit,  rancorous  party 
strife,  grave  moral  delinquencies,  unstable  quest  of  novel 
teachings,  Judaising  apostasy  (see  Galatians)  Antinomian 
error  (see  Rom.  vi.),  Gnostic  heresies  (see  Colossians),  meet 
us  again  and  again  in  the  New  Testament ;  and  the  Pastoral 
Epistles  show  that  in  little  more  than  one  generation  there 
were  many  mere  professors  as  well  as  true  Christians  in 
the  Church. 

Yet  a  benumbed  and  moribund  past  had  given  place  to 
a  future  full  of  hope  and  glory,  which  has  become  our 
present.  By  A.D.  ioo  the  faith  of  Christ  had  been  firmly 
established  among  the  three  great  civilisations  of  the  world, 
Greek,  Roman,  and  Jewish.  Men  say  the  age  of  miracles 
is  now  over.  In  reply  we  ask  them  to  look  at  what  is 
going  on  to-day  in  many  parts  of  the  Mission  Field 
at  home  and  abroad.  There  they  are  not  content  with 
studying  Christian  evidence  ;  they  make  it.  For  there  the 
miracle  of  changed  human  hearts  and  lives,  which  Christ 
reckoned  the  greatest  of  all,  still  takes  place,  through  the 
all-subduing  power  of  His  Spirit  (John  xiv.  12).  And 
remembering  that  the  Church  has  only  within  the  last 
century  really  attempted  to  carry  out  systematically  her 
"marching  orders"  (Matt,  xxviii.  19,  20),  we  recognise 
that  we  are  only  on  the  threshold  of  the  possibilities  of 
Christianity.  The  Chronological  Scripture  Cycle  deals 
with  time,  but  it  ends,  as  it  began,  in  eternity  (Rev.  xiii.  8  ; 
I  Cor.  xv.  28). 

IX.  Questions. 
(See  pp.  13,  18.) 

[Questions  VII.,  X.,  XVI.,  XVII.,  and  XXV.  may  be  answered  with  help 
of  any  books.] 

I.  What  do  you  know  of  S.  Paul's  father,  and  of  his 
kinsfolk,  also  of  his  education  and  social  position  ?  Quote 
two  passages  in  which  he  is  called  "our  beloved."     (8.) 


QUESTIONS.  305 

II.  Make  a  list  of  fourteen  places  at  which  S.  Paul 
founded  churches,  and  a  list  of  churches  to  which  he 
wrote.     (8.) 

III.  Enumerate  the  seven  occasions  on  which  he  was 
enlightened  or  encouraged  by  a  vision  of  the  Lord  or  of 
His  angel.     (7.) 

IV.  How  often  did  he  suffer  shipwreck,  and  how  often 
was  he  opposed  and  persecuted  by  heathen  ?     (3.) 

V.  Make  a  list  of  his  seven  recorded  sermons,  noting 
when,  where,  to  whom,  and  with  what  result  each  was 
spoken,  and   indicating  very  briefly  its   leading  thought. 

(23.) 

VI.  Fill  in  the  statement  of  Acts  xx.  1,2  by  a  brief 
narrative  of  S.  Paul's  movements  drawn  from  2  Corinthians. 
(6.) 

VII.  Would  you  justify  or  condemn  S.  Paul's  conduct 
as  described  in  Acts  xxiii.  3,6?     (6.) 

VIII.  What  were  the  objects  of  the  collection  S.  Paul 
made,  and  what  motives  does  he  urge  upon  contributors 
to  it  ?     (7.) 

IX.  What  allusions  are  there  in  S.  Paul's  Epistles  to  the 
soldier  that  guarded  him  ?     (4.) 

X.  Give  three  passages  in  which  S.  Paul  quotes  Christ's 
own  words  spoken  before  His  Ascension,  and  three  in  which 
he  quotes  from  Greek  authors.     (6.) 

XI.  "  Faithful  is  the  saying."  Quote  all  the  passages 
that  begin  thus,  and  show  their  doctrinal  significance.     (5.) 

XII.  Find  some  references  to  the  Mosaic  ritual,  and 
to  Greek  and  Roman  usages  and  customs  in  S.  Paul's 
Epistles.     (12.) 

XIII.  Name — (a)  The  only  church  for  which  S.  Paul 
has  no  commendation,  (b)  The  only  church  for  which 
he  has  no  reproof.  (c)  The  only  church  to  which  he  does 
not  call  himself  an  Apostle,  (d)  The  only  church  to  which 
he  sends  his  love,  (e)  The  only  church  from  which  he 
accepted  personal  gifts,  (f)  The  three  Epistles  that  contain 
no  clear  Old  Testament  quotations.  (g)  The  Epistles 
whose  salutation  adds  "  mercy "  to  "  grace  and  peace." 
(//)  The  only  mention  of  S.  John  by  S.  Paul,  (z)  The 
only  mention  of  S.  Paul  outside  his  own  Epistles  and 
Acts.     (10.) 

20 


306  NINTH  TERM. 

XIV.  Construct  a  life  of  Christ  from  the  Epistles  of 
S.  Paul.     (24.) 

XV.  Summarise  S.  Paul's  teaching  as  to — (a)  Tolerance  ; 
(b)  Sectarian  designations  from  personal  names  ;  (c)  Con- 
science.    (9.) 

XVI.  Is  there  any  contradiction  between  the  teaching  of 
S.  Paul  and  S.  James  concerning  Faith  and  Works  ?     (9.) 

XVII.  "By  grace  have  ye  been  saved"  (Eph.  ii.  5). 
"  Which  are  being  saved  "  (1  Cor.  i.  18).  "  Now  is  salvation 
nearer  to  us  than  when  we  first  believed"  (Rom.  xiii.  11). 
How  can  S.  Paul  consistently  make  these  three  statements 
simultaneously  of  the  same  class  of  people  ?     (6.) 

XVIII.  "We  stand,"  "We  walk,"  "Filled  with/'  "Built 
up."  Illustrate  by  quotations  S.  Paul's  use  of  these  four 
metaphors.     (12.) 

XIX.  "  Neither  circumcision  nor  uncircumcision  availeth, 
but  .  .  ."  Quote  S.  Paul's  three  conclusions  to  this  sentence, 
and  illustrate  his  characteristic  teaching  that  blessing  does 
not  depend  upon  the  privileges  we  enjoy,  but  upon  the  use 
we  make  of  those  privileges.     (5.) 

XX.  Illustrate  1  Cor.  xi.  1  by  showing  how  S.  Paul,  as 
a  follower  of  Christ,  gave  evidence  both  in  word  and  deed 
of — (a)  Courage ;  (J?)  Patience  ;  (c)  Humility  ;  (d)  Long- 
suffering  ;  (e)  Self-denial ;  (/)  Self-discipline ;  (g)  Self- 
abnegation  ;  (Ji)  Unworldliness ;  (i)  Single-heartedness  ; 
(j)  Laboriousness  ;  (k)  Conscientiousness  ;  (/)  High  aspira- 
tions ;  (m)  Patriotism  ;  («)  Considerateness  and  courtesy ; 
(0)  Enthusiasm  ;  (/)  Passionate  Devotion  ;  (g)  Prayerful- 
ness  ;  (r)  Submission  to  God's  will  ;  (s)  Zeal  for  God's 
glory  ;  (t)  Intense  love  to  God  and  man.     (20.) 

XXI.  Find  in  the  Church  Histoiy  of  the  New  Testament 
fulfilments  of  the  prophecies  in  Matt.  x.  19,  23,  xxiv.  12  ; 
John  xvi.  2  ;  and  of  the  promises  in  John  xiv.  26  and 
xvi.  13.     (6.) 

XXII.  Briefly  sketch  the  early  history  of  the  Church  of 
Ephesus,  as  told  in  the  New  Testament.     (10.) 

XXIII.  Give  examples  of  the  following  callings  from  the 
Acts  and  Epistles  : — (1)  Governor  or  Procurator  ;  (2)  Deputy 
or  Proconsul ;  (3)  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  ;  (4)  Trea- 
surer, z'.e.,  fiscal  city  officer  ;  (5)  Chief  Captain,  i.e.,  Colonel ; 
(6)   Centurion,   i.e.t    Captain  ;    (7)   Judge ;   (8)   Barrister ; 


QUESTIONS.  307 

(9)  Doctor  ;  (10)  Silversmith  ;  (11)  Coppersmith  ;  (12)  Tent- 
maker  ;  (13)  Tanner  ;  (14)  Bondservant.     (14.) 

XXIV.  "We  know  that  .  .  .  if  (or  because).  .  .  ."  Trace 
this  statement  through  1  John,  giving  its  contexts.     (10.) 

XXV.  What  do  you  understand  by  these  expressions,  as 
used  in  the  New  Testament? — Faith,  Justification,  Grace, 
Mystery,  Church,  Bishop,  Elder,  Deacon,  Saint,  Ana- 
thema.    (20.) 

XXVI.  Make  a  list  of  the  names  and  titles  given  to  our 
Lord  by  S.  Paul  and  S.  John.     (25.) 

XXVII.  Mention,  in  alphabetical  order,  noting  the  abode 
of  each,  28  Christian  women  referred  to  in  the  Acts  and 
Epistles.     (28.) 

XXVIII.  Give,  in  tabular  form,  an  epitome  of  the  mes- 
sages to  the  Seven  Churches  (Rev.  ii.,  iii.),  showing  in 
each  : — (a)  The  Lord's  attributes  ;  (J?)  His  commendation  ; 
(c)  His  reproof ;  (d)  His  warning  of  judgment ;  (e)  The 
enemies  He  notes  ;  (/)  His  exhortation  ;  (g)  His  promise 
to  him  that  overcometh.     (21.) 

XXIX.  Enumerate  the  eleven  Songs  in  the  Apocalypse, 
and  write  out  the  seven  Beatitudes  it  contains.     (9.) 

XXX.  The  imagery  and  phraseology  of  the  Apocalypse 
are  borrowed  throughout  from  the  Old  Testament.  Illus- 
trate this  by  references,  especially  to  the  Pentateuch, 
Ezekiel,  and  Daniel.     (15.) 

XXXI.  What  do  you  know  of  the  following  ? — Antipas, 
Demas,  Diotrephes,  Epaphroditus,  Mnason,  Onesiphorus, 
Silvanus,  Tertius.  How  many  of  the  name  of  Titus  and 
of  Gaius  can  you  discriminate  ?     (20.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — (a)  "They 
are  worthy "  (twice).  (6)  "  Mighty  in  the  Scriptures." 
(c)  "  Measuring  themselves  by  themselves."  (d)  "  Dwelling 
in  the  things  which  he  hath  seen."  (e)  "  Supposing  that 
godliness  is  a  way  of  gain."  (/)  "  It  behoved  the  Christ  to 
suffer."  (g)  "  Who  emptied  Himself."  (Ji)  "  He  died  for 
all."  (J)  "  That  He  might  have  mercy  upon  all."  (J)  "  On 
whom  we  have  set  our  hope."  (k)  "  I  press  on  toward  the 
goal."  (/)  "The  life  which  is  life  indeed."  (in)  "Sin  is 
lawlessness."  {n)  "  Apart  from  the  law  sin  is  dead." 
(0)  "The  world  through  its  wisdom  knew  not  God." 
(J?)  "  Everything  that  is  made  manifest  is  light."    (q)  "  Light 


308  NINTH  TERM. 

shall  shine  out  of  darkness."  (r)  "  Be  not  weary  in  well- 
doing." (s)  "Through  love  be  servants  one  to  another." 
(t)  "  Follow  after  things  which  make  for  peace."  (u)  "  Judge 
nothing  before  the  time."  (v)  "  Let  each  man  prove  his 
own  work."  (w)  "  Comforted  each  of  us  by  the  other's  faith." 
(x)  "  I  have  kept  the  faith."  (y)  "  He  shall  spread  His 
tabernacle  over  them."  (z)  "  At  home  with  the  Lord."  (27.) 
For  Second  Series  of  Questions,  see  p.  309. 

L'ENVOY. 

What  next  ?  is  the  question  with  which  we  have  ended  each  term's 
work.  No  one  who  has  really  entered  into  the  enjoyment  of  our  three 
years'  Bible  study  will  wish  merely  to  drop  it  now.  Two  determina- 
tions will  rather  be  formed.  First,  since  our  course  is  not  a  straight 
line  but  a  Cycle  (or  wheel  that  returns  into  itself),  to  read  the  whole 
Bible  again  systematically.  If  our  first  reading  was  delightful  and 
instructive,  our  second  cannot  fail  to  prove  even  more  delightful  and 
instructive.     For  we  are  dealing  with  the  one  inexhaustible  Book. 

Secondly,  to  continue  the  history  of  the  Church  which  we  have  just 
begun.  Many  things  in  the  New  Testament  would  be  explained,  many 
disputes  upon  which  the  energies  of  Christians  now  waste  themselves 
would  cease  to  exist,  if  we  rightly  linked  the  New  Testament  story 
of  that  first  of  all  the  Christian  ages  of  which  we  are  heirs,  with  the 
story  of  this  latest  age,  which  is  at  once  so  interesting  and  so  difficult, 
because  we  ourselves  are  part  of  it.  The  history  of  the  1800  years  that 
lie  between  them  explains  the  transition  from  the  one  to  the  other. 
There  is  a  Church  History  Class  in  the  College  by  Post ;  and  all  can 
read  up  the  subject  for  themselves  in  such  works  as  Smith's  "  Students' 
Ecclesiastical  History"  (Murray,  ys.  6d.),  or  Cutts'  "Turning  Points  of 
General  Church  History  "  (S.P.C.K.,  5s.). 


QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 
(See  p.  14.) 

[Throughout  books  may  be  freely  consulted  for  all  the  questions  except 
Question  XXXII.  The  maximum  of  marks  for  each  Paper  is  400,  the 
maximum  for  each  question  is  added  to  it.] 

FIRST  TERM. 

I.  Find  seven  Scriptural  metaphors  expressing  the  excel- 
lence of  the  Word  of  God.     (14.) 

II.  What  portions  of  the  Bible  were  composed  by 
women  ?     (4.) 

III.  Which  three  of  the  Twelve  Tribes  furnished  authors 
for  the  largest  number  of  books  in  the  Bible?  State 
approximately  the  number  to  be  attributed  to  each.     (18.) 

IV.  Mention  all  those  parts  of  the  Old  Testament  whose 
authors  are  not  certainly  known.     (10.) 

V.  Name  any  created  things  existing  before  God  said 
"  Let  there  be  light,"  and  any  intelligent  creatures  of 
whose  creation  we  have  no  record  in  Genesis.     (4.) 

VI.  Can  we  prove  from  Scripture  that  the  "  days  "  of  the 
Creation  were  24  hours  long?     (5.) 

VII.  Enumerate  the  most  remarkable  nations  descended 
from  each  of  the  three  sons  of  Noah.     (15.) 

VIII.  Show  from  the  study  of  Abraham's  life  what 
great  facts  about  God  he  had  firmly  grasped.     (9.) 

IX.  Account  for  the  statement  in  Rom.  ix.  13  by 
contrasting  the  characters  of  Jacob  and  Esau  as  shown  in 
their  personal  history  and  in  the  spiritual  teaching  con- 
nected with   them.     (Remember  that   "Esau  is    Edom.") 

(is.) 

X.  Point  out  the  difference  in  origin  and  meaning  of 

309 


310  QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

"  Jacob "  and  "  Israel,"  and  illustrate  this  difference  from 
the  contrasted  use  of  these  terms  in  the  Prophets.     (15.) 

XI.  Show  how  each  of  the  Twelve  Tribes  fulfilled,  in 
geographical  position  and  history,  Jacob's  words  about 
their  ancestors.     (24.) 

XII.  Make  a  list  of  the  passages  which  enumerate,  all 
the   sons  of  Jacob,  or  all  the   tribes  named  after  them. 

(14.) 

XIII.  "Ye  meant  evil,  but  God  meant  it  for  good." 
Give  other  instances  of  this  Divine  overruling  in  Bible 
history.     (6.) 

XIV.  Name  eight  children  of  Heth  mentioned  in  the 
Bible.  What  is  known  concerning  the  origin,  conquests, 
and  migrations  of  the  Hittites  ?     (12.) 

XV.  Enumerate  fourteen  kings  of  Egypt  named  in 
Scripture.  Briefly  summarise  the  intercourse  between 
Egypt  and  the  Chosen  People  throughout  their  history. 

(20.) 

XVI.  Sum  up,  in  two  or  three  sentences,  each  of  the 
sixteen  speeches  forming  the  colloquy  of  Job  iii. — xxv., 
showing  the  progress  of  the  argument  throughout.     (32.) 

XVII.  Discuss  fully  the  meaning  of  each  of  the  three 
signs  described  in  Exod.  iv.  2-9.     (12.) 

XVIII.  Explain  the  things  alluded  to  in  the  following 
passages  : — Gen.  xxxi.  30,  xli.  42  ;  Heb.  xi.  21  ;  Exod. 
viii.  26.     (12.) 

XIX  "I  have  sinned."  Quote  instances  of  this  con- 
fession in  Scripture,  distinguishing  those  which  marked  a 
satisfactory  repentance  from  the  rest.     (9.) 

XX.  Name  the  day  and  hour  that  the  Exodus  began. 
What  were  the  Egyptians  doing  while  the  Israelites  were 
departing  ?     (2.) 

XXI.  Consider  the  historical  origin  and  purpose  of  the 
two  national  ordinances  of  Circumcision  and  the  Passover. 
What  light  do  they  throw  upon  the  two  Christian  Sacra- 
ments ?     (20.) 

XXII.  Reconcile  Exod.  iv.  10  and  Acts  vii.  22  ;  also 
Exod.  xxiv.  10  and  1  Tim.  vi.   16.     (6.) 

XXIII.  Was  the  Manna  a  natural  product?     (4.) 

XXIV.  Tabulate  the  events  that  took  place  between 
Passover  and  Pentecost,  1491.     (10.) 


FIRST  TERM. 


3ii 


XXV.  "  The  Blood  of  the  Covenant"  Quote  the  two 
Old  Testament  and  five  New  Testament  passages  where  this 
phrase  occurs,  showing  how  they  explain  each  other.     (10.) 

XXVI.  Name  six  places  called  after  events  that  took 
place  in  them.     (6.) 

XXVII.  Illustrate  Heb.  ix.  II,  12  by  expounding  the 
typical  meaning  of  each  of  the  eight  parts  of  Aaron's  garb 
as  enumerated  in  Lev.  viii.  7-9.     (16.) 

XXVIII.  Tabulate  the  events  that  took  place  between 
Pentecost  1491  and  Passover  1490.     (10.) 

XXIX.  Work  out  with  New  Testament  references  the 
typical  meaning  of  any  one  of  the  events  between  Passover 
1 49 1  and  Passover  1490.     (4.) 

XXX.  Note  all  the  facts  and  incidents  concerning  the 
Patriarchs  and  Moses  for  a  knowledge  of  which  we  are 
indebted  solely  to  the  Psalms,  Acts,  and  Hebrews.     (12.) 

XXXI.  Each  of  these  phrases  occurs  both  in  Genesis  or 
Exodus,  and  in  the  New  Testament.  (Slight  variations 
are  indicated  by  italics.)  Give  two  references  to  each  : — 
(a)  "  Blessing  I  will  bless  thee."  (b)  "  God  rested  on  the 
seventh  day."  (c)  "  Man  became  a  living  soul."  (d)  "  They 
shall  be  one  flesh."  (e)  "  The  tree  of  life  in  the  midst  of 
the  garden."  (/)  "  Be  thou  perfect."  (g)  "  The  elder  shall 
serve  the  younger."  {It)  "  The  earth  is  the  Lord's." 
(/)  "  Your  lamb  without  blemish."  (J)  "  The  people  which 
Thou  hast  purchased."  (k)  "  I  will  be  to  you  a  God."  (/)  "  I 
will  give  thee  rest."     (24.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following  : — (a)  "  What 
is  this  thou  hast  done  ? "  (b)  "  I  will  do  this  thing  that 
thou  hast  spoken."  (c)  "  The  thing  that  thou  doest  is 
not  good."  (d)  "  Wherein  have  I  sinned  against  thee  ?  " 
(e)  "  God  is  great,  and  we  know  Him  not."  (/)  "  I  have 
waited  for  Thy  salvation."  (g)  "  My  life  shall  behold  the 
light."  (A)  "  Fear  not,  for  God  hath  heard."  (1)  "  The 
people  believed  and  worshipped."  (J)  "  Thou  hast  saved 
our  lives."  {k)  "  The  Lord  hath  blessed  me  for  thy  sake." 
(/)  "  He  knoweth  the  way  that  I  take."  (in)  "  God  did  send 
me."  (n)  "  There  will  I  meet  with  thee."  (0)  "  I  know 
it,  my  son."  (p)  "  And  the  boys  grew."  (q)  "  He  lieth 
under  the  lotus  trees."  (r)  "  He  shall  be  as  a  wild  ass." 
(s)  "  Thou  art  much  mightier  than  we."     (/)  All  the  men  are 


3i2  •     QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

dead  which  sought  thy  life."  (u)  "  Wilt  thou  go  with  this 
man  ? "  (v)  Show  them  the  work  that  they  must  do." 
(w)  "  They  turned  trembling  one  to  another."  (x)  "  I  shall 
die  in  my  nest."  (7)  "  Hating  unjust  gain."  (z)  "  He 
maketh  peace."     (26.) 

SECOND  TERM. 

I.  Which  of  the  five  sacrifices  ordained  in  Lev.  I. — vii. 
seem  to  have  been  instituted  for  the  first  time  at  Sinai? 

(4-) 

II.  After   what   events  were  the  sacrifices  ordained   in 

Lev.  xvi.  and  Num.  xix.  appointed?  Describe  them. 
What  light  is  thrown  upon  their  unique  character  by  the 
New  Testament?     (10.) 

III.  Name  eight  notable  periods  of  40  years  and  eight 
periods  of  40  days  in  the  Bible.     (16.) 

IV.  Tabulate  the  events  that  took  place  between  the 
Feasts  of  Passover  and  Tabernacles,  1490.     (15.) 

V.  Under  what  circumstances  were  two  men  stoned  in 
the  Wilderness  ?     (4.) 

VI.  Had  Korah,  the  son  of  Izhar,  any  descendants  ?    (4.) 

VII.  Write  a  brief  life  of  Aaron,  giving  dates  and  places 
of  his  birth  and  death,  and  of  the  chief  incidents  in  his 
career.     (18.) 

VIII.  Summarise  in  about  twelve  sentences  the  three 
parts  of  Balaam's  prophecy.     (12.) 

IX.  Make  a  list  of  all  the  nations  mentioned  in  Deutero- 
nomy. What  inferences  as  to  the  date  of  this  book  does 
the  catalogue  suggest  ?     (14.) 

X.  Note  the  facts  and  incidents  mentioned  in  Deutero- 
nomy only.     (15.) 

XI.  Find  eighteen  New  Testament  quotations  from  Deu- 
teronomy. In  how  many  of  these  is  the  book  referred 
to  Moses?     (18.) 

XII.  Quote  some  memorable  instances  of  obedience  to 
the  command  in  Deut.  xii.  2,  3.     (12.) 

XIII.  "Be  pitiful"  (tender-hearted,  R.V.).  Illustrate  S. 
Peter's  exhortation  from  the  injunctions  in  the  Mosaic  Law 
concerning  (a)  aliens,  (b)  the  young  and  helpless,  (c)  dumb 
creatures.     (12.) 


SECOND   TERM.  313 

XIV.  Consider  how  far  the  curses  of  Deut  xxviii.  15-68 
have  come  upon  and  overtaken  Israel  during  the  last  2500 
years.     (15.) 

XV.  "  Thy  Thummim  and  thy  Urim."  What  were  these, 
and  how  often  are  they  mentioned  in  Scripture  ?     (8.) 

XVI.  Enumerate  the  occasions  on  which  "  The  Angel 
of  the  Lord  "  was  seen  of  men.    Who  was  this  Being  ?     (15.) 

XVII.  What  New  Testament  references  are  there  to  the 
Shechinah  or  manifested  Glory  of  God  ?     (5.) 

XVIII.  Seven  tribes  are  likened  to  beasts.  Name  them 
and  their  symbols.     (7.) 

XIX.  Give  the  R.V.  equivalents  of  the  following : — 
(a)  "  Tabernacle  of  the  congregation."  (J?)  "  Meat  offer- 
ing." (c)  "  Trespass  offering."  (d)  "  Curious  girdle." 
0)  "Bonnets."  (/)  "Badgers'  skins."  (g)  "Fowls  that 
creep."  (/*)  "  Scape  goat."  (i)  "  Unicorn."  (J)  "  Giants." 
(k)  "  Groves."     (/)  "  Observe  times."     (12.) 

XX.  Trace  the  progress  in  Israel's  national  character, 
which  was  the  result  of  their  40  years'  experience  in  the 
Wilderness.     (8.) 

XXI.  State  the  period  of  time  covered  by  each  of 
these  books : — Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers,  Deuteronomy, 
Joshua.     (5.) 

XXII.  Compare  Psalm  xc.  with  the  personal  experience 
of  Moses  as  described  in  the  Pentateuch.     (9.) 

XXIII.  Give  the  name  of  Joshua's  grandfather.  Sketch 
the  course  of  the  successive  campaigns  by  which  Joshua 
made  the  Israelites  masters  of  Palestine.     (12.) 

XXIV.  Enumerate  the  Cities  of  Refuge,  stating  in  whose 
portion  each  was,  and  mentioning  any  historical  incidents 
connected  with  it.  To  whom  did  these  cities  belong  ? 
What  is  their  typical  significance  ?  Name  a  murderer  who 
met  his  death  at  one  of  them.     (24.) 

XXV.  Write  a  short  history  of  Jericho,  city  of  palm 
trees,  from  B.C.  145 1  to  A.D.  30.     (10.) 

XXVI.  How  many  cities  were  assigned  to  Kohath, 
Gershon,  and  Merari  respectively?  What  was  the  con- 
sequent geographical  position  of  each  of  the  three  Levite 
tribes  ?     (6.) 

XXVII.  Give  the  exact  meaning  and  origin  (if  you  can) 
of  these  terms  : — Canaan,  Palestine,  the  Holy  Land,  Galilee 


314  QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

Sharon,  Jordan,  Suph,  Arabah,  the  Hinder  Sea,  the  Brook 
of  Egypt     (20.) 

XXVIII.  What  events  are  connected  in  this  term's 
reading  with  the  following  places  ? — Baal-tamar,  Bezek,  the 
Fords  of  Jordan,  Hazeroth,  Kibroth-Hattaavah,  Massah, 
Mosera,  Shittim,  Taberah,  the  brook  Zered.     (10.) 

XXIX.  Specify  which  of  the  original  inhabitants  of 
Canaan  were  left  in  each  tribe's  portion,  with  the  places  of 
their  abode.     (14.) 

XXX.  Illustrate  from  Old  Testament  history  the  differ- 
ence between  choosing  what  is  right  and  merely  desiring 
what  is  right.     (10.) 

XXXI.  Find  twelve  Moabites  and  nine  Ammonites 
mentioned  in  the  Bible,  and  sketch  the  relations  of  Moab 
and  Ammon  to  Israel  throughout  their  history.     (30.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — {a)  "A 
Syrian  ready  to  perish."  (b)  "  One  of  his  chosen  men." 
(c)  "  The  day  thou  stoodest  before  the  Lord."  (d)  "  The 
goodwill  of  Him  that  dwelt  in  the  bush."  (e)  "  March 
on  with  strength."  (/)  "  Cut  down  for  thyself  there." 
(g)  "  Vex  them  not  nor  contend  with  them."  (Ji)  "  He 
shall  dwell  alone."  (z)  "Ye  shall  know  the  revoking  of 
My  promise."  (J)  "  He  will  not  fail  thee."  {k)  "  Thou 
shalt  eat  and  be  full."  (/)  "  Because  ye  sanctified  Me  not." 
{in)  "  That  there  be  no  plague."  (n)  "  As  I  have  done,  so 
God  hath  requited  me."  (p)  "  I  pray  Thee,  let  me  go 
over."  (J>)  "  Lo,  I  am  come  unto  thee."  (q)  "  To  destroy 
the  moist  with  the  dry."  (r)  "That  man  perished  not 
alone  in  his  iniquity."  (s)  "The  word  is  very  nigh  unto 
thee."  (7)  "  He  shall  write  him  a  copy  of  this  law."  (u)  "  He 
left  nothing  undone."  (v)  "Aaron  held  his  peace."  (w) 
"  They  became  servants  to  do  taskwork."  (x)  "  They  pro- 
claimed peace  unto  them."  (ji)  "  They  spake  no  more  of 
going  up  against  them."  (2)  "  Thou  hast  lacked  nothing." 
(26.) 

THIRD   TERM. 

I.  Briefly  contrast  the  characters  and  careers  of  Gideon 
and  Samson.     (12.) 

II.  Find  five  allusions  in  Judges  to  previous  events  in 
Israel's  history.     (5.) 


THIRD   TERM.  315 

III.  Consider  Samuel  as  (a)  a  servant  of  God,  (fi)  a 
prophet,  (c)  a  patriot,  (d)  a  statesman.     (12.) 

IV.  Name  four  men  who  owed  their  names  to  the 
sorrowful  circumstances  of  their  birth.     (4.) 

V.  Find/^/r  Amalekites  mentioned  in  the  Bible.  What 
is  known  of  the  origin  and  abode  of  this  people?  Quote 
the  earliest  and  latest  allusions  to  them.     (12.) 

VI.  Give  with  references  the  refrain  of  a  song  which  is 
quoted  thrice  and  referred  to  once  in  the  Scriptures.     (3.) 

VII.  Consider  carefully  the  causes  that  led  to  the  rejection 
of  Saul.     (10.) 

VIII.  Who  killed  one  of  Goliath's  brothers?  What  do 
we  know  of  his  kinsfolk  ?     (2.) 

IX.  Give  as  many  Old  Testament  illustrations  as  you 
can  of  1  Cor.  i.  26-9.     (10.) 

X.  Find  twelve  Philistines  mentioned  in  the  Bible. 
Name  three  false  gods  worshipped  by  the  Philistines,  and 
connect  some  historical  incident  with  each  of  their  five 
cities.     (24.) 

XI.  What  is  known  of  the  origin  and  national  character 
of  the  Philistines  ?  Sketch  their  relations  to  Israel  through- 
out.    (20.) 

XII.  May  we  infer  from  Scripture  that  the  dead  can 
manifest  themselves  to  the  living  and  communicate  with 
them?     (3.) 

XIII.  Give  references  in  the  Psalter  and  elsewhere  to 
passages  where  God  is  called  "our  "  or  "my  "  (1)  "  Salvation," 
(2)  "Health,"  (3)  "Life,"  (4)  "Strength,"  (5)  "Hope," 
(6)  "Refuge,"  (7)  "Portion,"  (8)  "Inheritance,"  (9)  "Praise," 
(10)  "  Song,"  (11)  "Joy,"  (12)  "Glory."     (12.) 

XIV.  Which  of  the  High  Priests  enumerated  in 
I  Chron.  vi.  3-15  are  mentioned  elsewhere?  Can  you 
name  any  Prae-Captivity  High  Priests  omitted  in  this  list  ? 

(10.) 

XV.  What  do  you  know  of  Azel,  Beerah,  the  Hagrites, 
and  Saraph?     (8.) 

XVI.  Name  two  notable  citizens  of  Anathoth.     (2.) 

XVII.  Write  a  brief  life  of  Abner.     (10.) 

XVIII.  State  the  exact  number  of  priests  and  Levites 
that  brought  the  Ark  up  to  Mount  Zion.     (4.) 

XIX.  Gather  up  twenty-five  allusions  in  the  Psalter  to 


316  QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

Jerusalem  as  (a)  the  Holy  City,  abode  of  God,  or  (b)  the 
Royal  City,  abode  of  the  King.     (25.) 

XX.  "  The  Lord's  Anointed,"  "  My  Anointed,"  "  Thine 
Anointed."  Where  does  this  phrase  first  occur,  and  of 
what  persons  is  it  used  ?  Give  its  New  Testament  equi- 
valent.    (12.) 

XXI.  Discriminate  two  places  named  Aphek,  Aroer, 
Bethlehem,  Bethshemesh,  Carmel,  Gibeah,  Hebron,  Mizpah, 
Ramah,  and  Ramoth.     (20.) 

XXII.  "  The  Lord  hath  put  away  thy  sin."  Quote  nine 
metaphors  through  which  the  completeness  of  this  Divine 
putting  away  is  expressed  in  Scripture.     (18.) 

XXIII.  Would  you  condemn  or  justify  David's  conduct 
with  regard  to  (1)  Saul,  (2)  Achish,  (3)  Shimei?     (9). 

XXIV.  Mention  six  Old  Testament  women  living  be- 
tween B.C.  1500  and  B.C.  1000  who  were  married  more 
than  once.     (6.) 

XXV.  Give  instances  of  sickness  being  sent  as  an 
exemplary  punishment  for  flagrant  sin.  Show  that  sick- 
ness is  not  always  a  judgment  on  the  sufferer.     (14.) 

XXVI.  Name  a  common  edible  brought  to  a  prophet 
in  his  old  age  who  had  brought  it  to  others  in  his  youth. 

(30 

XXVII.  "I  will  do  it,  (a)  For  My  own  sake,  (b)  For 
My  servant's  sake."  Give  instances  of  this  Divine  principle 
of  action.     (12.) 

XXVIII.  Distinguish  between  Abiezer  and  Ahiezer  ; 
Abijah  and  Ahijah  ;  Abimelech  and  Ahimelech  ;  Abinoam 
and  Ahinoam  ;  Adonibezek  and  Adonizedek  ;  Amos  and 
Amoz  ;  Buz  and  Buzi ;  Elah  and  Eli ;  Eleazar  and  Eliezer  ; 
Gedaliah  and  Gemariah  ;  Gershom  and  Gershon  ;  Hosea 
and  Hoshea  ;  Joab  and  Joah  ;  Korah  and  Kohath.     (28.) 

XXIX.  Knowledge  of  God  is  light  and  ignorance  of 
God  is  darkness.  Trace  this  image  in  the  Psalter  and 
elsewhere.     (20.) 

XXX.  Each  of  the  following  queries  refers  to  a  different 
tribe  : — (1)  Whose  warriors  were  bold  as  lions  and  fleet 
as  roes?  (2)  Whose  warriors  jeoparded  their  lives  unto 
the  death  ?  (3)  Whose  warriors  were  not  of  double  heart  ? 
(4)  Whose  warriors  proved  in  battle  the  power  of  the 
prayer  of  faith  ?      (5)  Whose  warriors  were  noted  for  a 


FOURTH   TERM.  317 

physical  peculiarity  mentioned  thrice  ?  (6)  Which  of  the 
Ten  Tribes  extended  their  borders  by  conquest  over 
Philistines  and  Amalekites  after  the  other  tribes  had  gone 
into  captivity  ?  (7)  Which  was  the  least  warlike  tribe  ? 
(8)  Which  produced  men  who  had  understanding  of  the 
times?  (9)  Which  is  more  than  once  rebuked  for  pride? 
(10)  Which  led  Israel  in  sin  ?  (1 1)  To  which  were  Joshua's 
only  recorded  words  of  blessing  spoken?  (12)  To  which 
was  the  privilege  of  teaching  given  as  the  reward  of  faith- 
fulness. (13)  To  which  was  the  gift  of  song  given  in  the 
largest  measure?     (26.) 

XXXI.  Explain  exactly  what  is  meant  by  Redemption. 
Trace  this  metaphor  throughout  the  Bible.     (18.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — (a)  "The 
bread  of  the  mighty."  (J?)  "  As  the  man  is,  so  is  his 
strength."  (c)  "  The  war  was  of  God."  (d)  "  God  is  a 
righteous  Judge."  (e)  "  By  Him  actions  are  weighed." 
(/)  "  He  hath  redeemed  my  soul."  (g)  "Deliver  us,  and 
we  will  serve  Thee."  (Ji)  "  What  shall  be  his  work  ? " 
(7)  "What  do  these  Hebrews  here?"  (j)  "Whose  son 
is  this  youth  ?  "  (k)  "  Who  am  I,  O  Lord  God  ?  "  (/)  "  I 
know  that  Thou  delightest  in  me."  (m)  "  The  records  are 
ancient."  (n)  "  There  is  none  like  that."  (0)  "  The  covetous 
contemneth  the  Lord."  (p)  "These  men  be  too  hard  for 
me."  (q)  "The  land  was  wide  and  quiet  and  peaceable." 
(r)  "  Shall  the  sword  devour  for  ever?  "  (s)  "  Rebuke  the 
wild  beast  of  the  reeds."  (/)  "  Thou  shalt  be  turned  into 
another  man."  (u)  "  The  Lord  hath  made  Himself  known." 
(v)  "  He  hath  wrought  with  God  this  day."  (w)  "  Blessed 
be  thy  wisdom."  (x)  "  Glad  with  joy  in  Thy  presence." 
(y)  "  They  ministered  with  song."  (z)  "  In  His  temple 
everything  saith,  Glory."     (26.) 

FOURTH    TERM 

I.  Elucidate  all  the  historical  and  geographical  allusions 
in  Psalm  cxxxiii.     (6.) 

II.  What  is  the  exact  meaning  etymologically  of  the 
words  Satan  and  Devil  7  Does  either  occur  in  the  plural  ? 
Trace  the  use  of  both  in  Old  and  New  Testament,  distin- 
guishing "  devil  "from  "  demon."     (18.) 


318  QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

III.  Make  a  list  of  the  names  or  descriptive  titles  of  the 
Tabernacle  and  the  Temple  which  bring  out  their  purpose 
and  character.     (25.) 

IV.  State  precisely  the  contents  of  the  Ark  (a)  in  the 
Tabernacle,  (b)  in  the  First  Temple.     (3.) 

V.  Name  five  great  warriors  who  dedicated  the  spoil 
won  in  battle  to  the  repair  of  the  Temple.     (2.) 

VI.  What  became  of  the  treasures  in  the  storehouse 
named  in  1  Chron.  xxvi.  15?     (2.) 

VII.  "The  shadow  of  Thy  wings."  Give  the  probable 
origin  of  this  metaphor,  and  quote  six  passages  in  the 
Psalter,  and  six  elsewhere  in  which  it  occurs.     (14.) 

VIII.  Name  /^  Phoenicians  and  four  Phoenician  cities 
mentioned  in  Scripture,  noting  the  earliest  and  latest 
allusions  to  Tyre.  What  false  gods  did  the  Phoenicians 
worship?     (12.) 

IX.  Sketch  the  relations  of  Israel  to  Phoenicia  through- 
out her  history,  and  account  for  the  contrast  presented  to 
her  relations  with  the  Philistines.     (15.) 

X.  Illustrate  Psalm  xlv.  6  by  giving  six  references  in 
the  Psalms,  nine  in  the  Prophets,  four  in  Revelation,  and 
six  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testament  to  the  Throne  of 
God.     (25.) 

XL  Name  three  sons  of  Abraham' who  married  Egyp- 
tian princesses.     (3.) 

XII.  Mention  three  women  who  rode  on  camels,  and  two 
men  who  rode  on  mules.  Give  some  other  Biblical  refer- 
ences to  both  animals.     (10.) 

XIII.  What  inferences  as  to  the  scenery  and  physical 
characteristics  of  Palestine  might  be  drawn  from  Hebrew 
literature  generally  ?     (10.) 

XIV.  Quote  passages  that  allude  to  the  ant,  the  bee,  the 
gnat,  the  moth,  and  the  spider.     (5.) 

XV.  Quote  ten  passages  in  Proverbs  enforcing  the  fifth 
commandment.     (5.) 

XVI.  Each  of  the  things  mentioned  in  Prov.  vi.  16-19 
is  characterised  elsewhere  in  Proverbs  as  an  abomination 
to  the  Lord.     Give  references.     (7.) 

XVII.  Find  sixteen  aphorisms  which  occur  more  than 
once  in  Proverbs.     (16.) 

XVIII.  What  has   Proverbs   to   say   of  wives   and  of 


FOURTH  TERM. 


319 


widows ;  of  a  gracious,  a  wise,  and  a  virtuous  woman  ;  and 
of  a  contentious,  an   indiscreet,  and  an    odious    woman  ? 

(10.) 

XIX.  Illustrate  Prov.  xxii.  6  by  a  short  essay  on  the 
principles  and  methods  of  education  in  Israel.     (10.) 

XX.  Where  do  the  Scriptures  allude  to  figs,  dates, 
melons,  pomegranates,  almonds,  nuts,  cucumbers,  lentiles,  and 
honeycomb  1     (18.) 

XXI.  What  conclusions  as  to  the  authorship  of  Ecclesi- 
astes  may  be  derived  from  a  careful  consideration  of  the 
book  itself?     (8.) 

XXII.  Briefly  summarise  the  argument  of  each  of  its 
four  sections.     (12.) 

XXIII.  Give  instances  of  persons  who  with  few  religious 
privileges  were  blest  and  made  a  blessing  ;  and  of  persons 
who  in  the  midst  of  many  privileges  forfeited  blessings 
that  might  have  been  theirs.     (8.) 

XXIV.  Discriminate  two  persons  named  Ahab,  Amaziah, 
Deborah,  Enoch,  Ezra,  Gad,  Hoshea,  Iddo,  Ishmael,  Jehu, 
Job,  Joel,  Jonadab,  Jonah,  Jotham,  Levi,  Manasseh,  Micah, 
Nadab,  Nathan,  Noah,  Obadiah,  Phinehas,  Shallum,  and 
Zephaniah.     (50.) 

XXV.  Consider  carefully  the  causes,  immediate  and 
remote,  which  led  to  the  revolt  of  the  Ten  Tribes.     (8.) 

XXVI.  "  The  light  of  Thy  countenance."  To  what  past 
and  future  manifestations  of  God  would  an  Israelite  have 
referred  this  phrase?  Note  all  the  passages  where  it 
occurs.     (12.) 

XXVII.  Sketch  the  history  of  King  Asa,  and  discuss 
his  character.     (6.) 

XXVI II.  Give  Biblical  examples  of  temptation  resisted 
and  yielded  to,  illustrating  1  Cor.  x.  13  and  James  i.  14.    (10.) 

XXIX.  Can  we  reconcile  2  Sam.  xxiv.  24  and  1  Chron. 
xxi.  25,  1  Kings  iv.  26  and  2  Chron.  ix.  25,  1  Kings  xvi.  8 
and  2  Chron.  xvi.  1  ?     (6.) 

XXX.  (1)  Man  is  ready  to  halt  and  perish.  (2)  God  is 
ready  to  pardon  and  save.  (3)  God  can  make  us  ready  to 
{a)  speak  for  Him,  (&)  work  for  Him,  (c)  die  for  Him.  Give 
at  least  one  reference  for  each  of  these  assertions.     (12.) 

XXXI.  Each  of  the  following  queries  refers  to  a  different 
tribe  : — (1)  Whose  portion  contained  Jerusalem  ?   (2)  Whose 


320  QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

portion  became  the  abode  of  two  dauntless  reformers  separ- 
ated by  nine  centuries?  (3)  In  whose  portion  did  our 
Lord  dwell  longest  ?  (4)  In  whose  portion  did  He  preach 
and  work  most  ?  (5)  In  whose  portion  were  two  mourning 
mothers  made  suddenly  joyful  ?  (6)  Which  tribe  is  omitted 
in  Deut  xxxiii.  ?  (7)  Which  is  omitted  in  1  Chron.  iv. — 
viii.,  and  Rev.  vii.  ?  (8)  Which  was  Judah's  rival  through- 
out ?  (9)  Which  contributed  most  largely  to  the  Bible  ? 
(10)  Of  which  was  it  said  "  Let  his  men  be  few  "  ?  (1 1)  Of 
which  was  it  said  "He  shall  be  great"?  (12)  Of  which 
do  we  twice  find  representatives  faithfully  worshipping  at 
Jerusalem?  (13)  From  which  were  all  the  high  priests, 
save  Aaron,  descended  ?     (26.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — (a) "  A 
discreet  counsellor."  (b)  "  A  thousand  years  twice  told." 
(c)  "  I  will  make  known  my  words  unto  you."  (d)  "  That 
they  may  know  My  service."  (e)  "  The  knowledge  of  the 
Holy  One  is  understanding."  (/)  "As  well  the  small  as 
the  great,  the  teacher  as  the  scholar."  (g)  "  He  shall  die 
for  lack  of  instruction."  (//)  "  One  sinner  destroyeth  much 
good."  (z)  "  The  righteous  is  a  guide  to  his  neighbour." 
(j)  "  My  hand  was  stretched  out  in  the  night."  (£)  "  Let 
thine  eyes  look  right  on."  (/)  "  I  am  sent  to  thee  with 
heavy  tidings."  {111)  "  The  wicked  earneth  deceitful  wages." 
{n)  "  I  hated  life."  (0)  "  A  flattering  mouth  worketh  ruin." 
(/)  "  Well  is  it  with  the  man  that  dealeth  graciously." 
(g)  "  He  that  despiseth  his  neighbour  is  void  of  wisdom." 
(r)  "  Our  shield  belongeth  unto  the  Lord."  (s)  "  Victory 
is  of  the  Lord."  (/)  "  It  is  the  gift  of  God."  (u)  "  Give 
me  neither  poverty  nor  riches."  (v)  "  The  Lord  gave  them 
rest."  (w)  "  This  is  My  resting  place  for  ever."  (x)  "  The 
Lord  searcheth  all  hearts."  (y)  "  I  have  trusted  in  the 
Lord  without  wavering."  (z)  "  That  we  may  seek  him 
with  thee."     (26). 

FIFTH  TERM. 

I.  Sketch  the  relations  between  the  kingdoms  of  Israel 
and  Judah  from  976  to  770.     (15.) 

II.  Name  two  persons  who  did  not  see  death,  and  nine 
who  were  raised  from  the  dead.     (6.) 


FIFTH  TERM.  321 

III.  Give  instances  from  Kings  and  Chronicles  of  recog- 
nition of  laws  in  the  Pentateuch.     (6.) 

IV.  Whose  descendants  avenged  the  murder  of  Zechariah, 
son  of  Jehoiada  ?     (2.) 

V.  Find  ten  Syrian  kings  and  twelve  other  Syrians  men- 
tioned in  the  Bible.  Name  eight  Syrian  cities.  What  do 
we  know  of  the  gods  of  the  Syrians  ?     (32.) 

VI.  Sketch  the  relations  between  Israel  and  Syria 
throughout  their  history.     (15.) 

VII.  Name  a  successor  of  Jeroboam  I.  whose  prayer 
God  answered.     (2.) 

VIII.  Find  a  parallel  in  the  Psalter  for  every  verse  of 
Jonah's  prayer.     (9.) 

IX.  Note  the  chief  illustrations  in  Amos  from  natural 
objects  and  agricultural  pursuits.     (6.) 

X.  Explain  Amos  iv.  5  by  quoting  two  New  Testament 
statements  of  the  meaning  of  leaven.     (2.) 

XL  Elucidate  the  historical  allusions  in  Amos  i.  3,  9, 
ii.  4,  iii.  14,  iv.  2.     (10.) 

XII.  Illustrate  Amos  iii.  8  by  naming  two  princes,  one 
farmer,  three  shepherds,  six  priests,  and  six  Levites  whom 
God  called  to  be  prophets.     (18.) 

XIII.  Sketch  the  history  of  the  schools  of  the  Prophets 
from  Samuel  to  the  Captivity.     (10.) 

XIV.  Find  twelve  allusions  to  Egypt  in  Hosea.     (6.) 

XV.  Trace  out  carefully  the  ever-recurring  tendency 
to  idolatrous  worship  of  God  among  the  descendants  of 
Rachel  who  "  stole  the  teraphim."     (10.) 

XVI.  Investigate  the  other  causes  which  led  to  the 
downfall  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel.     (8.) 

XVII.  "  A  vine  out  of  Egypt."  Trace  the  typical  use  of 
the  vine  throughout  the  Bible.     (8.) 

XVIII.  Explain  the  historical  allusions  in  Micah  i.  5, 
IO,  13,  ii.  5,  iii.  II,  iv.  8,  13,  vii.  14.     (16.) 

XIX.  Discriminate  three  persons  named  Azariah,  Hana- 
niah,  Jeremiah,  Joshua,  Micaiah,  Saul,  Shemaiah,  Zechariah, 
and  Zedekiah.     (27.) 

XX.  Make  a  list  of  incidents  peculiar  to  the  books  of 
Samuel  and  Kings  and  to  the  two  books  of  Chronicles, 
bringing  out  the  characteristic  differences  of  these  two  his- 
torical works.     (15.) 


322  QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

XXI.  Find  three  allusions  to  Hezekiah  outside  Kings, 
Chronicles,  and  Isaiah.     (3.) 

XXII.  Illustrate  S.  Paul's  great  declaration  of  the 
solidarity  of  humanity  (Rom.  xiv.  7)  by  giving  instances 
in  which  (a)  one  man's  faithfulness  has  saved  a  people, 
(b)  one  man's  unfaithfulness  has  destroyed  a  people.     (8.) 

XXIII.  Explain  Chiun,  Huzzab,  Nehushtan,  Rahab 
(Isa.  xxx.),  Siccuth  your  King,  the  tax  of  Moses  (2  Chron. 
xxiv.).     (12.) 

XXIV.  Note  how  recently  discovered  monuments  illus- 
trate and  confirm  the  following  passages  :  2  Kings  xvi. 
7-9,  xviii.  7,  14,  33,  34,  xix.  28,  32.     (10.) 

XXV.  Illustrate  Isa.  xxvi.  9  by  collecting  passages  that 
speak  of  man  seeking  God.     (8.) 

XXVI.  Distinguish  the  following  places  : — Baalah  and 
Baalath,  Bethel  and  Bether,  Besor  and  Bezer,  Cush  and 
Cuth,  Elam  and  Elath,  Etam  and  Etham,  Gaza  and  Gezer, 
Hachilah  and  Havilah,  Hor  and  Horeb,  Kadesh  and 
Kedesh,  Lachish  and  Laish,  Moreh  and  Moriah,  Nob  and 
Noph,  Seba  and  Sheba,  Shenir  and  Shinar,  Sin  and  Zin. 

<32-)  ,  ,    , 

XXVII.  Make  a  list  of  persons  to  whom  or  of  whom  it 

is  said  that  God  would  be  or  was  with  them.     (8.) 

XXVIII.  Point  a  contrast  between  ancient  and  modern 
Oriental  women  by  Biblical  instances  of  women  (a)  cooking, 
(b)  sewing,  (c)  buying  and  selling,  (d)  writing  letters, 
(e)  building,  (/)  succouring  the  needy,  (g)  rescuing  the  im- 
perilled, (Ji)  giving  counsel  about  public  affairs,  (i)  ruling, 
(J)  teaching,  (k)  praying,  (/)  prophesying.     (12.) 

XXIX.  God  (a)  cares  for  the  poor,  (J?)  blesses  those  who 
aid  them,  (c)  judges  those  who  oppress  them.  Illustrate 
by  quotations,  especially  from  the  Psalms  and  Prophets. 

(io.) 

XXX.  Name  twelve  men  and  three  women  of  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin,  and  six  men  and  six  women  of  Manasseh.    (27.) 

XXXI.  Name  a  general,  two  judges,  and  three  idolaters 
of  the  tribe  of  EpJiraim  ;  three  rulers,  a  prophet,  and  an 
oppressed  subject  of  Issachar ;  two  rulers  and  a  prophet  of 
Zebulon  ;  a  ruler  and  an  artificer  of  Dan  ;  three  sinners  of 
Reuben  ;  a  ruler  of  Naphtali,  and  an  idolater  of  Simeon. 

(21.) 


SIXTH   TERM.  323 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following  : — {a)  "  Written 
among  the  living."  (J?)  "A  brand  plucked  out  of  the 
burning."  (c)  "The  Lord  saw  the  affliction  of  Israel." 
(a)  "  His  eyes  observe  the  nations."  (e)  "  God  saw  their 
works."  (/")  "  I  will  never  forget  any  of  their  works." 
(g)  "  They  dealt  faithfully."  (//)  "  Like  people,  like  priest." 
(Y)  "  Your  eyes  the  prophets,  and  your  heads  the  seers." 
(J)  "  Ye  trample  upon  the  poor."  (k)  "  Forgive  them  not." 
(?)  "  I  would  not  look  toward  thee  nor  see  thee."  {in)  "  How 
shall  Jacob  stand  ?  "  (n)  "  They  shall  see  Thy  zeal  for  the 
people."  (0)  "  Though  I  would  redeem  them."  (/)  "  (He) 
made  them  sin  a  great  sin."  (q)  "  He  had  sackcloth  within 
upon  his  flesh."  (r)  "  The  meadows  by  the  Nile  .  .  .  shall 
become  dry."  (s)  "  I  am  thy  servant  and  thy  son." 
(/)  "  By  the  strength  of  my  hand  I  have  done  it."  (u)  "  Is 
thine  heart  right?"  (v)  "On  whom  dost  thou  trust?" 
(w)  "  Have  we  made  thee  of  the  king's  counsel  ? " 
(x)  "  Sheep  that  no  man  gathereth."  ( y)  "  Thou  hast  in- 
creased their  joy."  (z)  "  Wait  on  thy  God  continually."    (26.) 

SIXTH  TERM. 

I.  Compare  and  contrast  the  four  Reformations  in 
Judah's  history  with  regard  to  the  Reformers,  the  abuses 
reformed,  and  the  results.     (12.) 

II.  Which  would  you  reckon  the  six  most  important 
battles  in  Israel's  history  ?     (6.) 

III.  Describe  six  memorials  of  Israel's  past  history 
which  a  traveller  through  Palestine  might  have  seen  before 
the  Captivity.     (6.) 

IV.  Make  as  complete  a  list  as  possible  of  those  who 
formed  in  Jeremiah's  days  (a)  the  heathen  party  of  the 
princes  and  nobles,  (b)  the  great  body  of  the  sacerdotal 
and  prophetic  order.  Note  the  chief  offences  with  which 
both  parties  are  charged  by  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel.     (12.) 

V.  Contrast  the  political  position  of  Jeremiah  with  that 
of  Isaiah.     (5.) 

VI.  Find  twelve  parallels  between  Zephaniah  and  Jere- 
miah.    (12.) 

VII.  Briefly  indicate  the  meaning  of  the  six  parables  in 
Jeremiah.     (12.) 


324  QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

VIII.  "  I  swear  by  Myself,"  or,  "by  My  Name."  Find 
seven  passages  in  which  God  uses  these  words.     (7.) 

IX.  Summarise  the  dialogue  with  which  the  book  of 
Habakkuk  opens.     (4.) 

X.  For  what  lawful  and  unlawful  purposes  was  the 
Valley  of  Hinnom  used?  Note  all  the  Old  Testament 
allusions  to  it  and  to  them,  and  find  twelve  New  Testa- 
ment passages  containing  the  Greek  form  of  its  name.    (20.) 

XI.  Write  a  concise  history  of  the  kingdom  Nimrod 
founded.  Does  the  Assyrian  character  as  delineated  by  the 
Hebrew  prophets  correspond  with  the  Assyrian  character 
as  portrayed  by  the  monuments  ?     (14.) 

XII.  Note  passages  in  six  prophets  referring  to  Assyria 
and  Nineveh  ;  and  consider  how  far  their  predictions  have 
been  fulfilled.     (12.) 

XIII.  Name  some  women  in  Bible  history  whose  per- 
sonal influence  for  good  or  for  evil  was  very  great.     (6.) 

XIV.  Make  a  chronological  list  of  passages  in  the 
Psalter  and  the  Prophets  from  which  the  Jews  might  have 
learned  the  lesson  enforced  by  our  Lord  in  Matt.  ix.  13. 
(8.) 

XV.  Mention  two  Ethiopians  whose  piety  met  with  a 
great  and  unexpected  reward.  What  promises  to  Ethiopia 
does  Scripture  contain,  and  to  whom  might  they  be  applied 
now  ?     (4.) 

XVI.  Had  the  exiles  in  Babylon  any  intercourse  with 
Jerusalem  during  the  reign  of  Zedekiah  ?     (2.) 

XVII.  Where  are  the  Chosen  People  called  Jeshurun, 
Hephzibah,  God's  flock,  God's  hosts,  God's  armies,  God's 
assembly  or  God's  congregation,  God's  inheritance,  God's 
peculiar  treasure  ?     (9.) 

XVIII.  Summarise  Ezekiel  xx. — xxii.     (8.) 

XIX.  Give  references  for  each  of  the  five  similes — wind, 
water,  fire,  oil,  and  dew — under  which  t*he  operations  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  are  spoken  of,  indicating  the  significance  of 
each.     (15.) 

XX.  What  evidence  is  there  as  to  the  religious  and 
political  condition  of  North  and  South  Palestine  and  of  the 
exiles  in  Egypt  immediately  after  the  Captivity?     (6.) 

XXI.  Discriminate  two  places  named  Antioch,  Bethany, 
Caesarea,  Gilgal,  Kir,  Luz,  Rimmon,  Succoth,  Sion.     (18.) 


SIXTH  TERM. 


325 


XXII.  Note  how  recently  discovered  monuments  illus- 
trate and  confirm  the  following  passages :  Hab.  ii.  12  ; 
2  Chron.  xxxiii.  10,  1 1  ;  Isa.  xlvii.  6  (R.V.).     (6.) 

XXIII.  Illustrate  Isa.  xliii.  1  by  quoting  as  many 
instances  as  you  can  of  men  and  women  whom  the  Lord 
or  His  angelic  messengers  addressed  by  name.     (15.) 

XXIV.  Make  a  list  of  Old  Testament  saints  upon 
whom  God  "  put  His  name  "  by  being  known  as  their  God. 
(5.) 

XXV.  Summarise  Isa.  xlix. — lvii.     (14.) 

XXVI.  Illustrate  Isa.  xlix.  7  and  Isa.  lxiii.  1  by  citing 
ten  passages  where  we  are  told  that  God  is  faithful,  and 
twelve  where  we  are  told  that  God  is  able.     (22.) 

XXVII.  Are  there  any  traces  in  the  Old  Testament  of 
a  definite  belief  in  "  the  Resurrection  of  the  body  and  the 
life  everlasting  "  ?     (8.) 

XXVIII.  Illustrate  Isa.  lvii.  3,  4  and  Isa.  lxv.  23  by 
giving  Biblical  examples  of  (a)  godly  children  of  godly 
parents,  (J?)  ungodly  children  of  ungodly  parents,  (c)  godly 
children  of  ungodly  parents,  (d)  ungodly  children  of 
godly  parents.     (16.) 

XXIX.  Make  a  list  of  forty  men  of  fudah  who  were 
memorable  for  goodness,  valour,  or  wisdom  ;  and  of 
eighteen  who  were  infamous  for  their  evil  deeds.     (58.) 

XXX.  Distinguish  between  Mahlah  and  Mahlon,  Medad 
and  Medan,  Mesha  and  Meshach,  Naamah  and  Naaman, 
Obed  and  Oded,  Rezin  and  Rezon,  Shaphan  and  Shaphat, 
Sheba  and  Sheva,  Shimea  and  Shimei,  Uriah  and  Urijah, 
Uzzah  and  Uzziab,  Vashti  and  Vashni,  Zebul  and  Zebah, 
Zillah  and  Zilpah.     (28.) 

XXXI.  Quote  some  prophecies  that  mention  definite 
periods  of  time  that  were  in  the  future  for  the  prophet  who 
uttered  them.     (4.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following  : — (a)  "  Israel 
My  glory."  (&)  "  The  dearly  beloved  of  My  soul."  (V)"Triou 
shalt  not  be  forgotten  of  Me."  (d)  "  I  will  strengthen  thee 
for  good."  (e)  "  The  oaths  to  the  tribes  were  a  sure  word." 
(f)  "  In  the  latter  days  ye  shall  understand  it."  (g)  "  The 
joyous  city  that  dwelt  carelessly."  (//)  "  A  land  that  is  very 
far  off."  (1)  "  The  land  whereunto  their  soul  longeth  to 
return."     (j)  "  We  are  weary  and  have  no  rest."     (k)  "  How 


326  QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

long  shall'  it  yet  be  ?  "  (/)  "  I  will  satisfy  My  fury."  (m)  "  I 
poured  out  their  life  blood."  (n)  "  The  earth  was  waste  and 
void."  (p)  "  He  created  it  not  a  waste."  (/)  "  Ye  have  dealt 
deceitfully  against  your  own  souls."  (q)  "Thy  doom  is 
come  unto  thee."  (r)  "  Thou  hast  had  thy  way."  (s)  "  He 
shook  the  arrows  to  and  fro."  (/)  "  We  will  denounce  him." 
(u)  "  This  shall  they  have  for  their  pride."  (v)  "  He  hum- 
bled himself  greatly."  (w)  "  Cursed  be  he  that  doeth  the 
work  of  the  Lord  negligently."  (x)  "  Yet  will  I  gather 
others  to  him  beside  his  own."  (y)  "  That  they  may  all  call 
upon  the  name  of  the  Lord."  {z)  "  Then  answered  I  and 
said,  Amen."     (26.) 

SEVENTH    TERM. 

I.  "  I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it."  Find  twelve  passages 
in  Ezekiel  where  this  phrase  or  an  equivalent  phrase 
occurs.     (12.) 

II.  Illustrate  Ezek.  xxxiv.  II,  12  by  collecting  passages 
which  speak  of  God  seeking  man.     (10.) 

III.  Which  idolatrous  nations  received  the  most  signal 
proofs  of  the  Deity  of  Jehovah.     (12.) 

IV.  Why  did  Daniel  refuse  the  King's  meat  ?     (2.) 

V.  Trace  the  successive  stages  in  Nebuchadnezzar's 
knowledge  of  the  true  God.     (6.) 

VI.  Do  secular  historians  or  the  monuments  enable  us  to 
identify  the  four  royal  persons  mentioned  in  Dan.  iv.  ?     (8.) 

VII.  Note  all  the  Old  Testament  prophecies  concerning 
Babylon  and  the  Chaldeans.  Consider  the  symbolical  use 
of  Babylon.     (20.) 

VIII.  Sketch  the  relations  between  Babylon  and  Assyria, 
and  between  Babylon  and  Israel  throughout  their  history. 
(20.) 

IX.  Find  episodes  in  Daniel  which  illustrate  Matt.  vi.  33, 
xviii.  20  ;  1  John  v.  4  ;  Luke  xii.  8  ;  1  Peter  i.  II.     (5.) 

X.  Discriminate  four  Gentile  decrees  for  the  restoration 
of  the  Jews,  giving  the  date  and  purpose  of  each.     (8.) 

XI.  Show  by  quotation  chiefly  from  the  Psalter  how  true 
satisfaction  may  be  found.     (10.) 

XII.  Of  what  ancient  hostilities  was  the  persistent 
enmity  met  with  by  the  restored  Jews  a  revival  ?     (6.) 


SEVENTH   TERM.  327 

XIII.  "  The  fear  of  the  Jews."  Where  does  this  phrase 
occur,  and  what  are  its  various  contexts  ?     (4.) 

XIV.  Mention  the  only  Old  Testament  book  that  does 
not  name  God,  and  the  only  New  Testament  book  that 
does  not  name  Christ.  Show  how  each  recognises  God  or 
Christ  notwithstanding.     (4.) 

XV.  What  do  you  know  of  Ezra's  personal  history  ? 
How  far  does  his  ancestry  account  for  his  piety  and 
influence  ?     (9.) 

XVI.  Enumerate  the  epistles  of  the  Old  Testament, 
noting  the  author,  date,  and  theme  of  each.     (8.) 

XVII.  What  do  you  know  of  the  following? — Arioch, 
Bigthan,  Geshem,  Jahaziah,  Jarib,  Melzar,  Shemaiah, 
Tatnai,  Tobiah,  Zeresh.     (20.) 

XVIII.  Illustrate  Zech.  ix.  9  by  showing  that  the  ass  is 
the  most  prominent  animal  throughout  Israel's  history.  (15.) 

XIX.  Explain  Horonite,  Nethinim,  Ophel,  Purim,  Solo- 
mon's servants,  Tirshatha.     (12.) 

XX.  Name  seven  Old  Testament  prophetesses.     (7.) 

XXI.  What  are  the  favourite  metaphors  and  similes  in 
the  Psalter  to  express  (a)  God's  righteousness,  (b)  God's 
wrath,  (c)  man's  frailty,  (d)  slander,  (e)  the  prosperity  of 
the  righteous?     (20.) 

XXII.  Show  from  internal  evidence  that  Malachi 
belongs  to  the  later,  not  the  earlier  period  of  the  Restora- 
tion.    (4.) 

XXIII.  Illustrate  Mai.  ii.  7  by  showing  what  the  priest- 
hood had  done  for  the  preservation  of  the  knowledge  and 
worship  of  God  in  Judah.     (10.) 

XXIV.  What  evidence  is  there  that  the  priests  exercised 
judicial  functions  ?     (6.) 

XXV.  Make  a  chronological  table  of  the  three  groups 
of  Old  Testament  prophets,  approximately  indicating  the 
length  of  time  during  which  each  prophesied,  showing 
which  were  each  other's  contemporaries,  and  naming  the 
chief  nations  concerning  whom  each  prophesied.     (32.) 

XXVI.  On  whom  were  the  three  last  curses  of  the  Old 
Testament  pronounced  ?     (3.) 

XXVII.  Make  a  list  of  faithful  and  unfaithful  servants 
in  Scripture,  indicating  which  were  slaves.     (10.) 

XXVIII.  How  often  does  each  of  these  pravers  occur  in 


328  QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

Psalm  cxix.  ? — (a)  Remember  me,  {b)  Hear  me,  (c)  Seek  me, 
(d)  Save  me,  (e)  Redeem  me,  (/)  Deliver  me,  (g)  Consider 
me,  (Ji)  Help  me,  (z)  Quicken  me,  (y)  Strengthen  me, 
(k)  Teach  me,  (/)  Give  me  understanding.     (12.) 

XXIX.  Find  fifteen  books  no  longer  extant  to  which  the 
Old  Testament  refers.     (15.) 

XXX.  Make  a  list  of  twenty-six  famous  and  six  in- 
famous Levites.     (32.) 

XXXI.  Mark  off  by  horizontal  lines  twenty-one  inches 
to  represent  the  centuries  from  B.C.  2000  to  A.D.  100.  In- 
dicate by  perpendicular  lines  (a)  the  periods  named  on 
p.  169,  (J?)  the  duration  of  the  united  monarchy,  (c)  of  the 
monarchies  of  Judah  and  Israel,  (d)  of  the  Captivity,  (e)  of 
the  Assyrian,  Babylonian,  Persian,  Grecian,  and  Roman 
Empires,  (/)  of  the  priesthoods  of  the  houses  of  Eleazar 
and  Ithamar,  (g)  of  the  First  and  Second  Temple.     (32.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — (a)  "The 
bread  of  heaven."  (fi)  "  The  day  of  small  things."  (c)  "  A 
time  of  much  rain."  (d) "  Ivory  inlaid  in  boxwood."  (e)  "The 
house  which  a  great  King  of  Israel  builded."  (/)  "  Whose 
are  all  thy  ways  ? "  (g)  "  They  have  laid  their  swords 
under  their  heads."  (//)  "  Thou  shalt  surely  fall  before  him." 
(/)  "  They  have  overthrown  me  wrongfully."  (J)  "  Woe 
worth  the  day  !  "  (Js)  "  They  conspired  to  cause  confusion 
therein."  (/)  "  Brought  to  silence  in  the  midst  of  the  sea." 
(m)  "  He  was  a  faithful  man."  («)  "  He  shall  magnify  him- 
self in  his  heart."  (0)  "  Every  one  unto  his  work."  (/)  "  As 
thou  hast  said,  so  must  we  do."  (q)  "  O  Lord,  shine  forth." 
(r)  "  That  we  should  have  discernment  in  Thy  truth." 
(/)  "  The  sum  of  Thy  word  is  truth."  (J)  "  Make  crowns." 
(?/)  "  I  am  the  son  of  Thine  handmaid."  (v)  "  I  will  accept 
you."  (w)  "  From  this  day  will  I  bless  you."  (x)  "  When  I 
shall  be  sanctified  in  you."  (y)  "  All  the  peoples  have  seen 
His  glory."     (z)  "  The  Lord  is  there."     (26.) 

EIGHTH    TERM, 

I.  Trace  the  influence  of  Isaiah's  writings  upon  John  the 
Baptist.     (9.) 

II.  Give  references  for  all  the  sayings  of  the  Baptist 
about  Christ,  and  of  Christ  about  the  Baptist.     (9.) 


EIGHTH  TERM.  329 

III.  Note  in  chronological  order  all  the  events  and  in- 
cidents in  Old  Testament  history  to  which  our  Lord 
alludes.     (20.) 

IV.  Does  Scripture  warrant  us  in  anticipating  a  future 
literal  restoration  of  Israel  to  their  own  land  ?     (10.) 

V.  Give  the  occasion,  date,  and  chief  incidents  of  each  of 
Christ's  recorded  visits  to  Jerusalem.     (21.) 

VI.  Which  miracle  of  healing  did  Christ  repeat  oftenest? 
Which  class  of  His  miracles  is  unparalleled  among  miracles 
wrought  by  others  ?     (4.) 

VII.  "According  to  your  faith."  Elucidate  this  by 
showing  that  some  of  His  miracles  were  instantaneous,  and 
others  more  or  less  gradual.     (6.) 

VIII.  In  which  of  His  miracles  did  He  seek  human 
co-operation  ?     What  is  the  significance  of  His  doing  this  ? 

(6.) 

IX.  Illustrate  Acts  ii.  22  by  showing  from  Scripture 
(a)  that  miraculous  manifestations  are  not  necessarily  of 
Divine  origin,  (b)  that  Christ's  miracles  were  evidences  of 
His    Divine   mission   rather   than    of   His   Divine   nature. 

(10.) 

X.  After  which  of  His  miracles  did  the  people  glorify 
God  ?     (7.) 

XI.  Illustrate  Dr.  Westcott's  remark  that  S.  Mark  more 
than  any  other  evangelist  records  the  effect  produced  on 
others  by  the  Lord's  working.     (24.) 

XII.  Contrast  the  parables  of  the  Mince  and  of  the 
Talents,  of  the  Great  Supper  and  of  the  Marriage  Feast. 
Account  for  their  characteristic  differences  by  pointing  out 
the  circumstances  under  which  each  was  spoken.     (8.) 

XIII.  Give  two  references  to  each  of  twenty-four  sayings 
of  Christ  which  occur  in  more  than  one  context.     (24.) 

XIV.  "As  He  said,"  Matt,  xxviii.  6.  Note  all  the 
occasions  here  referred  to.     (5.) 

XV.  Harmonise  Matt.  ix.  17  and  xiii.  52,  Luke  ix.  50 
and  xi.  23,  John  v.  31  and  viii.  14.     (9.) 

XVI.  Enumerate  all  the  sayings  and  incidents  of  Christ's 
ministry  which  reveal  Him  as  "a  Light  to  lighten  the 
Gentiles."     (10.) 

XVII.  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me."  Consider 
this  aspect  of  the  character  and  work  of  Christ.     (10.) 


33o  QUESTIONS.     SECOND  SERIES. 

XVIII.  Quote  a  verse  in  which  the  Father,  the  Son,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  are  each  referred  to  twice.     (2.) 

XIX.  "The  higher  and  holier  the  teacher  in  the  eyes 
of  other  men,  the  unworthier  is  he  in  his  own  eyes."  Give 
Biblical  instances  of  this,  and  point  out  one  noteworthy 
exception  to  it.     (12.) 

XX.  Enumerate  all  the  persons  by  whom  and  all  the 
occasions  on  which  Christ  was  acknowledged  to  be  the  Son 
of  God.     (12.) 

XXI.  Prove  from  Scripture,  without  reference  to  the 
writings  of  S.  John,  that  Christ  is  "  very  God  of  very  God." 
(10.) 

XXII.  From  the  private  interviews  with  Christ,  which 
are  recorded  in  the  Gospels,  illustrate  His  patient  con- 
descension, also  the  importance  He  attaches  to  individual 
influence  upon  individuals.     (9.) 

XXI I I.  Mention  by  name  thirty  men  and  ten  women 
who  believed  in  Christ  before  His  Ascension.     (40.) 

XXIV.  Sketch  the  growth  of  opposition  to  Christ 
during  the  three  and  a  half  years  of  His  ministry,  and 
show  how  it  influenced  His  teaching  and  action.     (20.) 

XXV.  Quote  the  various  accusations  brought  against 
Him  by  His  enemies.  Which  did  He  refute,  and  which 
did  He  tacitly  accept?     (12.) 

XXVI.  Name  (a)  one  who  knew  the  exact  age  he 
would  attain,  (b)  one  who  knew  the  manner  of  his  death 
years  before  he  died,  (c)  two  who  received  Divine  assurance 
of  their  personal  salvation,  (d)  the  only  one  of  Christ's 
followers  to  whom  lasting  earthly  fame  was  promised.     (5.) 

XXVII.  Trace  out  in  S.  John's  Gospel  how  Christ 
reveals  Himself  as  the  One  having  Life  in  Himself  and 
giving  Life  to  men.     (12.) 

XXVIII.  What  personal  details  can  we  glean  of  the 
authors  of  the  Synoptical  Gospels  ?     (12.) 

XXIX.  Summarise  the  external  and  internal  evidence 
for  attributing  the  fourth  Gospel  to  the  Apostle  John.    (12.) 

XXX.  Sketch  the  life  of  S.  Peter  and  discuss  his 
character.     (12.) 

XXXI.  Illustrate  James  v.  16  by  giving  twelve  Old 
Testament  instances  of  answered  intercessory  prayer. 
(12.) 


NINTH  TERM.  331 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — (a)  "  My 
Son,  My  Chosen."  (b)  "  A  new  teaching."  (c)  "  The  things 
concerning  the  Kingdom  of  God."  (d)  "  For  a  testimony 
unto  all  the  nations."  (e) "  Making  no  distinction."  (/)  "  The 
multitude  welcomed  Him."  (g)  "Ye  know  nothing  at  all." 
(//)  "  Certain  which  set  all  others  at  nought."  (Y)  "  Is  it  not 
for  this  cause  that  ye  err  ?  "  (/)  "  Because  they  were  not 
united  by  faith  with  them  that  heard."  (k)  "  On  some  have 
mercy  who  are  in  doubt."  (/)  "  Having  forgotten  the 
cleansing."  (;/*)  "  They  stood  still,  looking  sad."  (n)  "  He 
was  much  perplexed."  (<?)  "  God  is  one."  (/)  "  All  live  unto 
Him."  (q)  "  No  word  from  God  shall  be  void  of  power." 
(f)  "  Therefore  do  these  powers  work  in  him."  (s)  "  On 
whom  ye  have  set  your  hope."  (t)  "  Ye  are  Christ's."  (u)  ft  Be 
ye  free  from  the  love  of  money."  (v)  "  Keep  yourselves  from 
all  covetousness."  (w)  "  Be  not  anxious."  (x)  "  Watch  ye  at 
every  season."  (j)  "  Looking  for  the  Kingdom  of  God." 
(z)  "  Sanctify  in  your  hearts  Christ  as  Lord."     (26.) 

NINTH   TERM. 

I.  Give  the  occasion,  date,  and  chief  incidents  of  each  of 
S.  Paul's  recorded  visits  to  Jerusalem.     (15.) 

II.  Note  in  chronological  order  twenty-five  events  and 
incidents  in  Old  Testament  history  to  which  S.  Paul 
alludes.     (25.) 

III.  Write  a  concise  biography  of  S.  Paul's  dearest 
friend.     Is  he  mentioned  in  S.  John's  writings  ?     (15.) 

IV.  "  He  shall  bear  witness  of  Me."  Quote  twelve 
passages  bearing  out  the  above  statement  in  this  term's 
reading.     (12.) 

V.  What  are  the  three  objects  of  Christian  ambition 
which  S.  Paul  puts  before  the  Thessalonians,  Corinthians, 
and  Romans?     (See  R.V.  margin.)     (3.) 

VI.  Illustrate  1  Cor.  iv.  1,2  by  tracing  the  metaphor  of 
stewardship  throughout  the  New  Testament.     (14.) 

VII.  Illustrate  Gal.  v.  22,  23  from  the  earliest  chapters 
of  Church  history.     (12.) 

VIII.  Quote  all  the  passages  in  which  S.  Paul  speaks  of 
giving  thanks  for  and  praying  for  those  to  whom  he  writes, 
and  in  which  he  asks  their  prayer  for  himself.     To  which 


332  QLESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

churches    and   individuals   is   he   silent   on    this   subject  ? 

(25-) 

IX.  In  reference  to  subsequent  uses  of  the  phrase,  con- 
sider all  S.  Paul's  references  to  "  the  cross."     (8.) 

X.  Summarise  the  argument  of  the  Epistle  to  the 
Ephesians.     (12.) 

XL  "  I  am  not  able,"  "  I  am  able."  Trace  out,  especially 
in  S.  Paul's  Epistles,  the  two  ideas  of  weakness  in  self  and 
strength  in  Christ.     (12.) 

XII.  Examine  the  significance  throughout  the  Bible  of 
the  act  of  laying  on  of  hands,     (io.) 

XIII.  Give  Scriptural  instances  of  conscience  (a) 
awakened,  (6)  enlightened,  (c)  perverted,  (d)  seared.     (8.) 

XIV.  What  New  Testament  characters  and  incidents 
are  connected  with  Ashdod,  Damascus,  Egypt,  Gaza, 
Joppa,  Kidron,  Salem,  Sharon,  Sychar,  Tyre,  and  Sidon  ? 
What  Old  Testament  mention  is  there  of  Olivet  ?     (12.) 

XV.  "  The  end  of  your  faith,  even  the  salvation  of  your 
souls"  (i  Peter  i.  9).  "By  hope  were  we  saved"  (Rom. 
viii.  24).  "  Every  one  that  loveth  is  begotten  of  God " 
(1  John  iv.  7).     Harmonise  these  three  statements.     (12.) 

XVI.  Consider  generally  our  gain  in  having  different 
aspects  of  the  same  truths  presented  to  us  in  the  writings 
of  different  Apostles.     (10.) 

XVII.  What  do  you  know  of  the  Churches  of  Thyatira 
and  Antioch  in  Syria?     (10.) 

XVIII.  Illustrate  1  John  iv.  8  by  a  list  of  the  objects  of 
God's  love  that  are  expressly  named  in  Scripture.     (12.) 

XIX.  Name  the  twenty-one  sevenfold  things  mentioned 
in  the  Apocalypse.     (21.) 

XX.  "  He  that  openeth  "  (Rev.  iii.  7).  Where  are  we 
told  of  the  Lord  opening  (a)  the  eyes,  (6)  the  ears,  (c)  the 
understanding,  (d)  the  heart,  (e)  the  mouth  ?     (6.) 

XXI.  "  The  Lamb  of  God."  Examine  the  historical 
origin  and  doctrinal  significance  of  this  title.     (10.) 

XXII.  Find  seven  references  in  the  Apocalypse  and 
elsewhere  to  God's  Book  of  Life.     (7.) 

XXIII.  Find  three  allusions  in  the  Psalter  to  the  River 
of  God.     (3.) 

XXIV.  "An  unfallen  creature  may  proclaim  the  Gospel 
as   a  herald\  only  a  redeemed  creature   can   testify  from 


NINTH  TERM.  333 

personal  experience  to  the  Gospel  as  a  witness?     Illus- 
trate, especially  from  the  writings  of  S.  Luke  and  S.  John. 

(12.) 

XXV.  Trace  throughout  the  Bible  (a)  the  Divine  call 
to  salvation,  "  Come"  (b)  the  Divine  call  to  service,  "  Go." 

(150 

XXVI.  What  light  does  the  Old  Testament  throw  upon 
these  expressions  :  "  The  middle  wall  of  partition,"  "  The 
place  called  Har-Magedon  "  ?     (6.) 

XXVII.  Make  a  list  from  the  whole  Bible  of  "things 
which  God  hath  prepared."     (12.) 

XXVIII.  Name  all  the  books  of  the  Bible  that  contain 
explicit  internal  evidence  as  to  their  authorship.     (12.) 

XXIX.  Give  five  Old  Testament  references  to  "  Sheol" 
eleven  New  Testament  references  to  " Hades"  and  three 
New  Testament  references  to  "  Paradise!'  Expound  the 
meanings  of  these  words  as  shown  by  their  derivations. 

(24.) 

XXX.  Quote  seven  New  Testament  passages  bearing 
upon  the  present  condition  of  those  who  "  have  departed 
this  life  in  God's  faith  and  fear."     (7.) 

XXXI.  Do  any  of  the  following  occur  in  the  Bible  ?  If 
not,  where  do  they  occur,  or  of  what  texts  are  they  mis- 
quotations ? — (a)  "  Assurance  of  salvation."  (b)  "  Justifica- 
tion by  faith."  (c)  "  Hope  full  of  immortality."  (d)  "  Not 
lost,  but  gone  before."  (e)  "  A  reason  for  the  faith  that  is  in 
you."  (/)  "  In  the  world,  but  not  of  the  world."  (g)  "  In  the 
midst  of  life  we  are  in  death."  (h)  "  His  end  was  peace." 
(i )  "  Charity  begins  at  home."  (/)  "  Money  is  the  root  of 
all  evil."  (k)  "  Spare  the  rod  and  spoil  the  child."  (/)  "  God 
tempers  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb."     (12.) 

XXXII.  Give  references  for  the  following: — (a)  "There 
is  no  distinction  "  (twice),  (b)  "  Teachers  of  that  which  is 
good."  (c)"  Helpers  of  your  joy."  (d)  "Giving  no  occasion 
of  stumbling  in  anything."  (e)  "  The  uncertainty  of  riches." 
(f)  "  I  would  have  you  to  be  free  from  cares."  (g)  "  All 
things  are  yours."  (Ji)  "Encourage  the  faint-hearted." 
(i)  "  Complete  the  doing  also."  (J)  "  I  have  found  no  works 
of  thine  fulfilled."  (k)  "  Worse  than  an  unbeliever."  (/)  "  I 
speak  this  to  move  you  to  shame."  (in)  "  Hold  such  in 
honour."     (n)  "  Not  knowing  God,  ye  were  in  bondage." 


334  QUESTIONS.    SECOND  SERIES. 

(p)  "  We  desire  to  hear  of  thee  what  thou  thinkest." 
(/)  "  The  earth  was  lightened  with  his  glory."  (g)  "  Try  your 
own  selves."  (r)  "  Approved  in  Christ."  (s)  "  That  thy  pro- 
gress may  be  manifest  unto  all."  (V)  "  Manifest  throughout 
the  whole  praetorian  guard."  (u)  "  The  patience  and  the 
faith  of  the  saints."  (v)  "  In  all  the  world  bearing  fruit  and 
increasing."  (w)  "  God's  own  possession."  (x)  "  For  whom 
Christ  died."  (/)  "  And  such  we  are."  (/)  "  Remember 
Jesus  Christ."     (26.) 


THE  END. 


GENERAL   INDEX. 

(The  pages  given  are  those  on  which  either  the  book  itself  or  its  subject- 
matter  is  dealt  with.) 


Genesis  .        • 

PAGES 

.     19-35- 

The  Psalms    . 

PAGES 

45,  66,  67,  84, 

Exodus   .        . 

.    20,  23-35   39, 

85,    104,    105, 

40,  50. 

126,  127,  147, 

Leviticus 

.    43,  44,  5o-55- 

170-212. 

Numbers 

.    41-46,  49.  53- 

The  Proverbs 

82-84,  89. 

Deuteronomy  . 

.    43,     45,     49, 

Ecclesiastes    . 

83,  84. 

53- 

The  Song  of  Songs 

81,  82,  89. 

Joshua    . 

.    41-50. 

Isaiah 

52,     102-105, 

Judges    . 

.    42-46,  55,  61, 

109-113,    122, 

62,  65,  66,  68. 

123,  127,  130- 

Ruth       . 

.    42,  44,  46,  50. 

132. 

i  Samuel         • 

.    61-64,  66,  68- 

Jeremiah 

119-121,    123- 

74- 

132,  139,  140. 

2  Samuel        . 

.    62,  64,  66-68, 

Lamentations 

125,  127,  131. 

70-74. 

Ezekiel  . 

124-127,    131, 

i  Kings  . 

.    79,  80,  84-91, 

132,  143,  147, 

96-100,      104, 

152,  153. 

107,  108,  112. 

Daniel    .        • 

143,  144,  147- 

2  Kings  . 

.     96-100,      104- 

155,  165-167. 

110,  113,  114, 

Hosea    .        . 

101,  104,  III, 

118-121,    126- 

113. 

128,  132,  133. 

Joel 

102,  104,  in, 

I  Chronicles  . 

.     64-66,     69-74, 

112. 

84. 

Amos 

101,   104,  III, 

2  Chronicles  . 

.    64,  65,  79,  80, 
84-91,  96-100, 

112. 

Obadiah 

124,    127,   131, 

104,  105,  108- 

132. 

110,    118-121, 

Jonah      .        . 

100,  101,  104, 

126-128,    132, 

I06,   I IO,   112. 

133, 147. 

Micah     .        • 

IO3,    I04,   III, 

Ezra       .        • 

.   140-142,   144, 

"3- 

146-152. 

Nahum  . 

IO3,    I05,  II3. 

Nehemiah      . 

144, 147, 151, 

Habakkuk 

123,    126,    I30, 

152. 

131,   132. 

Esther    .        . 

.    141,  144,  145, 

Zephaniah 

123,    126,    I30, 

147,  148, 156. 

132. 

Job         .        . 

.   21-23, 28, 31. 

Haggai            .     145 

147,    153,   154. 

335 


336 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Zechariah       • 

PAGES 

.     145,  147,  I53> 

Ephesians 

PACES 
.        284,     286,    287, 

154,  157. 

292. 

Malachi . 

.     146,  147,  153- 

Philippians 

.        284,     286,    287, 

154. 

292. 

The  Apocrypha 

164-169. 

Colossians 

.        284,    286,    287, 

S.  Matthew    . 

218-221,    227- 

292. 

240,  244-277. 

1  Thessalonians      .     284,  285,  291, 

S.  Mark 

.    218-222,    227- 

292. 

240,  244-277. 

2  Thessalonians      .     284,  285,  291, 

S.  Luke . 

218-222,    227- 

292. 

240,  244-277. 

1  Timothy 

.        284,     287,    292. 

S.  John  . 

218-222,    227- 

2  Timothy 

.        284,     287,    292. 

240,  244-277. 

Titus 

.        284,    287,    292. 

The  Acts 

223,  227,  234, 

Philemon 

.        284,    287,    292. 

238,  239,  278- 

Hebrews 

.        50-53,224,226, 

284,    291-300, 

227. 

302,  304. 

James    . 

.        223-225,    227. 

Romans.        . 

.    284,  286,  292, 

1  Peter  . 

.        223-225,    227. 

301. 

2  Peter  . 

.        223-225,    227. 

i  Corinthians . 

.    284,  285,  292. 

1,  2,  3  John 

.        287,    288,    292. 

2  Corinthians  . 

.     284,  285,  292. 

Jude       . 

.        223-225,    227. 

Galatians 

.    284,  285,  292. 

Revelation     , 

.        288-292. 

INDEX   TO   THE   PSALMS. 

(The  Arabic  numerals  are  those  assigned  to  the  Psalms  on  pp.  179 — 212.) 


No. 

No. 

Psalm 

I.      . 

Psalm 

XXXVII.    . 

.        64 

u 

II. 

.      34 

11 

XXXVIII.    . 

.        40 

n 

III. 

61 

11 

XXXIX.    . 

.       41 

11 

IV. 

62 

11 

XL.    . 

•      43 

•t 

V. 

45 

11 

XLI.   . 

.      42 

M 

VI. 

39 

11 

XLII.    . 

•      83 

l» 

VII. 

20 

11 

XLIII.    . 

.      84 

II 

VIII. 

2 

11 

XLIV.    . 

.     105 

II 

IX. 

33 

11 

XLV.    . 

.      74 

II 

X. 

46 

11 

XLVI.    . 

•      95 

i» 

XI. 

10 

11 

XLVII.    . 

.      96 

II 

XII. 

47 

11 

XLVIII.    . 

.      97 

M 

XIII. 

9 

11 

XLIX.    . 

.      87 

II 

XIV. 

48 

tt 

L.   . 

.      79 

11 

XV. 

26 

11 

LI.    . 

.      37 

II 

XVI. 

23 

11 

LII.    . 

.       16 

l| 

XVII. 

21 

11 

LIU.    . 

.      49 

•  1 

XVIII. 

35 

11 

LIV.    . 

.       19 

11 

XIX. 

3 

11 

LV.    . 

.      55 

II 

XX. 

29 

>t 

LVI.    . 

11 

tl 

XXI. 

3° 

tt 

LVII.    . 

.       15 

II 

XXII. 

58 

11 

LVI  1 1.    . 

.      17 

•  1 

XXIII. 

4 

11 

LIX.    . 

8 

•  • 

XXIV. 

25 

11 

LX.    . 

.      31 

11 

XXV. 

12 

11 

LXI.    . 

60 

tl 

XXVI. 

66 

•1 

LXII.   . 

5° 

11 

XXVII. 

54 

it 

LXIII.    . 

53 

II 

XXVIII. 

67 

11 

LXIV.   . 

51 

„ 

XXIX. 

5 

•1 

LXV.    . 

I02 

II 

XXX. 

68 

11 

LXVI.    . 

I03 

II 

XXXI. 

59 

11 

LXVII.   . 

I04 

II 

XXXII. 

33 

it 

LXVIII.   . 

-        36 

II 

XXXIII. 

93 

11 

LXIX.   . 

57 

11 

XXXIV. 

13 

11 

LXX.    . 

44 

tl 

XXXV. 

18 

•t 

LXXI.    . 

106 

It 

XXXVI. 

63 

it 

LXXII.    . 

73 

337 


22 


338 


INDEX  TO   THE  PSALMS. 


No. 

salm      LXXIII.    . 

.      88 

LXXIV.    . 

.  107 

LXXV.    . 

.     IOO 

LXXVI.    . 

.       IOI 

LXXVII.    . 

.    81 

LXXVIII.    . 

22 

LXXIX.    . 

.    108 

LXXX.    . 

■    98 

LXXXI.    . 

.    80 

„         LXXXII.    . 

82 

LXXXIII.    . 

94 

„        LXXXIV.    . 

■      85 

LXXXV.    . 

.     121 

LXXXVI.    . 

7i 

„       LXXXVII.    . 

99 

„     LXXXVIIL    . 

86 

LXXXIX.    . 

92 

XC.    . 

1 

XCI.    . 

9i 

XCII.    . 

131 

XCIII.    . 

132 

XCIV.    . 

126 

xcv.  . 

133 

XCVI.    . 

134 

XCVII.    . 

135 

XCVIII.    . 

136 

XCIX.   . 

137 

c.  . 

138 

CI.    . 

24 

CII.   . 

in 

cm.  . 

112 

CIV.    . 

113 

cv.  . 

114 

CVI.   . 

115 

CVII.    . 

116 

CVIII.   . 

32 

CIX.    . 

56 

ex.  . 

27 

CXI.    . 

89 

No. 

Psalm          CXII.    . 

.     90 

CXIII.    . 

•   139 

CXIV.    . 

.    140 

CXV.    .        . 

.   141 

CXVI.   . 

.    142 

CXVII.   . 

.    143 

CXVIII.    . 

.   144 

CXIX.    . 

150 

.    cxx.  . 

.  118 

CXXI    . 

.   119 

CXXII.   . 

120 

CXXIII.   . 

.      122 

CXXIV.   . 

.-  123 

exxv   . 

,    124 

CXXVI.    . 

125 

CXXVII.   . 

77 

CXXVII1.    . 

78 

CXXIX.   . 

no 

exxx.  . 

109 

CXXXI.    . 

70 

CXXXII.    . 

75 

CXXXIII.    . 

65 

CXXXIV. 

128 

exxxv.  . 

129 

CXXXVI.   . 

130 

„      CXXXVII.    . 

117 

„     CXXXVIII.    . 

28 

„       CXXXIX.    . 

69 

CXL.    . 

6 

CXLI.   . 

7 

CXLII.    . 

14 

CXLIII.    . 

52 

CXLIV.    . 

127 

CXLV.   . 

72 

CXLVI.    . 

145 

CXLVII.    . 

146 

CXLVIII.    . 

147 

CXLIX.    . 

148 

■CL     .        .         . 

149 

